The Best Margaritas in Atlanta

Transcription

June 200F8REE
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Vol. 16, No. 1
rtainment Monthly
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tlanta.com
www.insitea
The Best
Margaritas
in Atlanta
Summer
Guide
Duran Duran
Jeff Francoeur
Death Cab
for Cutie
Jack Black
and our Summer Movie Preview
Best Hair Salon
CONTENTS • JUNE 2008 • VOLUME 16.10
Insite | AJC | Creative Loafing | Citysearch | Kudzu | Salon Today
Modern Salon | WSB-TV | Access Atlanta | The list goes on...
Buckhead
39 West Paces Ferry Rd.
Atlanta, Ga. 30305 (404) 237-4664
Virginia Highlands
778 N. Highland Ave.
Atlanta, Ga. 30306 (404) 874-6604
Sandy Springs
220 Sandy Springs Circle
Atlanta, Ga. 30328 (404) 255-0026
Norcross
5161 Peachtree Parway, Suite 606
Norcross, Ga. 30092 (678) 987-3600
www.vanmichael.com
INTERVIEWS
06 LAURA SAN GIACOMO
14 WILLAIM HURT
06
15 JACK BLACK
20 THE NIGHT MARCHERS
19 DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
22 DURAN DURAN
23 ESTELLE
29 JEFF FRANCOEUR
FEATURES
08 SUMMER GUIDE
11 MARGARITAS
12 SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW
24 EAST ATLANTA
26 BURGERS
15
COLUMNS
05 ON TAP
21
06 BOOKS
06 WANTON DISTRACTION
07 UNDER THE LIGHTS
10 AROUND TOWN
16 CONCERT CALENDAR
18 ROAD WARRIORS
18 WE GOT NEXT
19 ALBUM REVIEWS
27 MOVIE REVIEWS
23
30 FANATIC
www.insiteatlanta.com
STAFF LISTING
Publisher
Stephen Miller
[email protected]
National Managing Editor
Bret Love
[email protected]
Art Director
Michael T.
[email protected]
Film Editor
Matt Goldberg
[email protected]
Local News Editor
Glenn LaFollette
[email protected]
Local Events Editor
Rav Mansfield
[email protected]
Sports Editor
DeMarco Williams
[email protected]
Web Design Kalico Productions
[email protected]
PG 4 • insiteatlanta.com • June 2008
Contributing Writers / Interns:
John Davidson, John Moore, Mathew Goldberg, Russell
Fisher, Zena Scott, Margo Aaron, Andrea Hatter, Kim
Guelcher, Richard Marsh, Tracy Gould, Mark Fitten,
Dave Cohen & Russ Marshalek
CONTACT US
2250 North Druid Hills Rd. #100
Atlanta, GA 30329-3118
phone 404-315-8485 website insiteatlanta.com
ADVERTISING INFORMATION
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© Copyright 2008,
Be Bop Publishing, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Check out our Summer
Movie Preview on page 12!
Chin Chin...
LOCAL EVENTS
OnTap for June
A Window Into Hong Kong.
EMAIL EVENTS TO [email protected]
Centennial Olympic Park
“Most Memorable Meal Award”
SCREEN ON THE GREEN
1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
– Where Magazine
Peachtree TV will present Atlanta's popular SCREEN ON THE
GREEN in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park with five consecutive Thursday evening films perfect for picnicking with friends
and family. The complete viewing schedule for 2008 SCREEN
ON THE GREEN is as follows: May 29 - Jaws (1975), June 5 Big Momma's House (2000), June 12 - Chicago (2002), June 19 E.T. (1982), June 26 - Viewers' Choice of Back to the Future
(1985), Rocky (1976) or Footloose (1984). No pets or glass containers. Umbrellas and high-backed chairs are strongly discouraged to allow visibility for all viewers.
“Mouthwatering Chin Chin
spices things up”
– The Atlanta Journal Constitution
“Best Chinese” 2002–2007
– INsite Magazine
“Best Chinese” 1998–2007
– Creative Loafing
Summer 08: Fabulous Fox Theatre
COCA COLA SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL
The greatest rock-and-roll band of all time, an eavesdropping
elephant, a classic and a contemporary romance, one of filmdom's best villains, a historical cinematic chariot race, and an
adventurous young girl light up the big screen during the 2008
Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival at the Fox Theatre. The
Festival starts in June with a line-up that includes Shine A Light
(June 5th at 7:30 p.m.),Horton Hears a Who! (June 8th at 2:00
p.m.) Atonement (June 8th at 7:00 p.m.) Casablanca (June 17th
at 7:30 p.m.) and No Country For Old Men (June 18th at 7:30
p.m.) Tickets available at the Box Office 404-249-6400 and at
Ticketmaster 404-817-8700, or www.ticketmaster.com. All
tickets are general admission.
June 6-8: Virginia Highland Avenue
3887 Peachtree Rd | Buckhead / Brookhaven | 404-816-2229
2800 Spring Rd | Cobb Parkway | 770-319-8331
1715 Howell Mill Rd. | Howell Mill | 404-609-5618
617 Johnson Ferry Rd. | East Cobb | 678-560-5550
3370 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Rd. | Suwanee | 770-831-3233
270 Rocker Rd. | Alpharetta | 770-569-9883
3495 Peachtree Pkwy. | Suwanee | 770-844-0133
...and other locations
VIRGINIA-HIGHLAND SUMMERFEST
The Virginia-Highland Civic Association is proud to present the
25th annual Virginia-Highland Summerfest, June 6 (2pm 8pm), June 7( 10am - 8pm), and June 8 (11am -6pm). Visitors
to Summerfest can celebrate the beginning of summer by shopping for original art in a variety of media - and by enjoying great
food and an exceptional array of live music presented by radio
station partner DaveFM (92.9 FM). Summerfest takes place
along tree-lined Virginia Avenue, in the heart of the historic and
charming Virginia-Highland neighborhood. This year's event
also features a 5K race on Saturday morning. Register at
www.active.com.
June 6-8: Crowne Plaza Hotel
SCI-FI SUMMER CON
Sci-Fi Summer Con Atlanta is a science fiction and fantasy
convention featuring literary and media panel discussions,
celebrity Q&A's, 24-hour gaming, live musical and theatrical
performances, film screenings, costume contests, outdoor
activities, an art show, a dealer's room and much more. Panel
discussions range in topic from science-fiction and fantasy to
anime and costuming. Sci-Fi Summer Con memberships
cost $20 in advance (deadline applies) and $30 at the door
(kids under 12 get in free). Visit www.sfscon.net for more
information or call 770-428-4400.
June 14: Oglethorpe University
TASTE OF BROOKHAVEN
The fourth annual Taste of Brookhaven is a culinary experience you do not want to miss. Bringing you some of
Brookhaven's finest restaurants, diners are treated to a variety
of favorite menu items and wine pairing from Bones, Haven,
Roy's and much more! The historical and picturesque
grounds of Brookhaven's own Oglethorpe University are the
backdrop for this neighborhood dinner party. Ticket sales are
available through the BAA website and at participating restaurants and community retail locations. For further information
visit www.brookhavenartsalliance.com or at 404-266-3426.
June 20: Decatur Square
DECATUR BEACH PARTY
Celebrate the beginning of summer at the annual
Decatur Beach Party. Decatur turns its landlocked
square into the Decatur Beach with plenty of wading
pools, a kid’s boardwalk, live music, a stage built
across Ponce de Leon for dancing on the street, and
more! Music will be performed by The Reputations
at 5pm. Tickets for adults are $10 at the gate and
$6.50 in advance at www.decaturdba.com. Children
under 12 are free (limit two per paying adult). No
coolers, glass or pets in beach party area.
OPEN EVERY DAY!
www.chinchinonline.com
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WHMES TO
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404-728-7900
www.feministcenter.org
Surgi-Center License 044-287
Book Review
SNUFF
Author: Chuck Palahniuk
BY JOHN B. MOORE
Those genuinely shocked by the topic of Chuck
Palahniuk’s latest novel, the surprisingly creative
Snuff, should probably ask themselves why they
picked up the book in the first place considering
the author’s past track record.
Taking place entirely in the basement of a
makeshift studio in which aging porn queen
Cassie Wright is trying to end her career by
breaking the world record for having sex with
600 men, the novelty of a book set in the porn
world quickly wears off thanks to Palahniuk’s
deft ability to take seemingly shallow characters
and expose a lot of depth.
Each chapter is told from the point of view of
one of four characters: Number 600, an over-thehill male porn star who has a long history with
Cassie; Number 72, a young adoptee who may or
may not be Cassie’s long-lost son; Number 137, a
once-relevant TV star caught up in a sex scandal
who sees this video shoot as his way to get back
into Hollywood; and Shelia, Cassie’s assistant
and the woman who organized the porn stunt.
For anyone looking to slam the author for
glorifying the porn industry with Snuff, you only
need to read the first
couple of chapters
to see just how
pathetic the lifestyle
is, overshadowed
only by the fans it
attracts. Palahniuk’s
ninth novel, Snuff
definitely rates up
there with Fight
Club and Choke
among the best
this cult author has
written. Grade: A
CELEBRITY CORNER
Wanton
Distraction
Skewed Views on Entertainment News
BY MATT GOLDBERG
�� has taken time away from
working on his upcoming film, “The
Lovely Bones”, to invite you and all
your friends in Middle-Earth to ask
him and Guillemo Del Toro questions
about the upcoming “Hobbit” films.
They will answer the top twenty
most frequently asked questions, so
for those of you that wanted to know
why Tom Bombadil wasn’t in “The
Lord of the Rings” trilogy, I’ll go
ahead and field that one right now:
because he was fucking stupid and
no one cared about him except you.
I also wouldn’t ask the following
questions:
Will Andy Serkis return as Gollum?
(probably)
Will Ian McKellan return as
Gandalf? (probably)
Do you feel stupid since you
destroyed Bag-End and returned
the area to boring countryside and
now you’ll have to rebuild it? (user
banned from chat)
�� has signed on to
play Dick Cheney in Oliver Stone’s upcoming
for meaty, dramatic roles he can sink his teeth
into. Also, he has a penchant for shooting
people in the face.
�� has finally decided
that he wants some of the proverbial “fat cash”
and since appearing in serious movies is only
earning him bullshit critical acclaim (that noise
won’t buy you a jet-ski), it’s time to saddle up to
a big old blockbuster. The blockbuster
will be Gore Verbinski (the “Pirates of
the Caribbean” trilogy) adaptation of
the popular videogame series, “Prince of
Persia”. The clearly Persian Gyllenhaal
was the clear choice for the pick as any
actor who may have been from Iran
would clearly be a terrorist. And people
don’t want terrorists as their action
heroes. There have been studies.
��
the studio with either the best sense
of humor or the worst casting agents
imaginable because for their upcoming
thriller, “28th Amendment” they’re
getting �� to play THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
I can buy a stupid President. I’ve had to
for the past eight years (ba-zing!), but
I’m not sure I can buy a bug-fuck insane
President.
�� has found a
spare moment between making films
��
and making films to make another film.
�� has received strong
His new movie will be “Unthinkable”
critical acclaim, she’s a singer that
where he has only two days to stop
carries a lot of baggage and now
terrorists from launching a nuclear
that she’s been signed to write and
attack. Jackson and a female partner will
Amy Winehouse will write and perform the new James Bond theme.
perform the theme for the upcoming
have to interrogate their only suspect
James Bond film, “Quantum of Solace”.
by any means necessary. The studio that
So as you sit and watch the opening credits of George W. Bush biopic, “W”. Dreyfuss was signed on for the film has never heard of “24”,
the movie, and you suddenly hear this massive approached for the role because he’s known “Jack Bauer”, or “Republican Talking Points
around Hollywood as a serious actor looking Regarding Torture”.
snorting sound, that’s why.
FILM INTERVIEW
Heaven Must Have Sent You From Above
Laura San Giacomo stars on a faith-questioning show on TV.
In real life, she’s an angel to children with physical challenges.
BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS
T
HIS NEW JERSEY NATIVE BEST KNOWN FOR
her rolls in TV’s Just Shoot Me and the big screen’s Pretty
Woman, has found am more worthy cause to focus her
time. San Giacomo’s son, Mason, was born with cerebral palsy.
Rather than be content with him learning at a slower pace than
“normal” children, Laura helped to establish an inclusive preschool. From that pioneering move, and with the help of some
forward-thinking California professors, an elementary and middle
school for all kids was established.. Below you won’t hear any
angst from Laura San Giacomo for her efforts being overlooked
in mainstream media. She’s crusading for Mason and young ones
like him, not for spreads next to Brad and Angelina in some glossy
magazine.
For those who didn’t see the first season of Saving Grace, what
did they miss?
The first season was kind of introducing you to Grace and her life
as a cop, a person, a sister, a daughter, a friend. She is a person that
some of us might consider extreme. Her life, to some, looks like it’s
unraveling. A tobacco-chewing angel has appeared to her to help
her find a better way but he’s not really giving her too many clues
besides Look at yourself and What are you doing with your life?
Your character, Rhetta, appears to be Grace’s friend to the end.
Are you that kind of person in reality?
I certainly have my share of watching people who I felt were
going through some really tough times. I’ve tried to be there for
them, to listen, to help them through. I hope that I have been there
for people.
What do you love about Saving Grace star Holly Hunter?
She is so smart, so detailed. She has her eye on everything that
is going on. I think that one of the reasons why is because she is
a producer on the show. She’s really in there watching everything
and has an opinion about everything.
And that type of behavior is contagious on set, right?
Yep, very good observation. It brings everybody’s game up.
Everybody goes about it a different way. Everybody goes about it
with a different sort of energy, but she is carrying the torch and the
script.
You’ve been fortunate to work on stage, film and television. How
special is that?
You’re really lucky if you get to work in this business. I’ve never
really had a map of myself with very specific ideas of what I
wanted to do. I’ve always taken the turn of “I want to do something
different next, whatever that means I’ll accept it. I just have this
feeling that I want to do something different.” That’s really happened to me.
Would you say your career has gone the path you envisioned?
I think that right now I’m very happy to have a job in this industry that also allows me to be home and be a mom sometimes,
too. That’s really what I was looking for at this time in my life. I’m
very happy to have something I can really delve into, but not have
to work everyday and have some time off during the year to be a
mom. That’s a very important part of my life, so I’m very fortunate
to do both.
Mom. Now that’s a role you’re playing perfectly. Speak on the
amazing things you’ve done with your son and the school.
My son had a little injury around the time of his birth and he has
what some people would consider physical disabilities. He was involved in an inclusive preschool, which means that children of all
abilities go to school together. There were two children with disabilities in a class of 18 typically-developing, regular children. The
parents and families really loved that. From there grew an elementary and middle school based on that philosophy with [the help of ]
some professors from the Department of Education at California
State University-Northridge. We have two charter schools in addition to an inclusive preschool and an early-intervention center
for children with disabilities. We’re really serving families from
birth to the end of middle school. It’s a very wonderful academic
environment for all children. There are about two to four children
[with disability] in elementary school and middle school per class
of 20. What it really does for everyone is it teaches diversity. Communication skills, problem-solving skills, empathy, compassion,
self-esteem, self-worth, a sense of belonging [can be found at the
schools]. I’m just one in a group of moms who have pushed some
really great educators to make it happen.
Are there any other big-screen movies in the works for you?
No, I’m going to be committed to Saving Grace for the next six
months. After that, I’m not committed to anything.
THEATER
Under The Lights
Theatrical Performances in June
paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24
chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and
old romances will be rekindled on this lush island
full of possibilities.
Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA's
songs from "Dancing Queen" and "S.O.S." to
"Money, Money, Money" and "Take a Chance on
Me," MAMMA MIA! is a celebration of mothers
and daughters, old friends and new family found.
MAMMA MIA!
June 10 - 15 The Fox Theatre
www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com
404-817-8700
Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' MAMMA
MIA!, the smash hit musical based on the songs
of ABBA, returns to The Fabulous Fox Theatre
for a special one-week engagement.
Seen by over 30 million people around the
world, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus'
global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA! is celebrating 6 sold-out years at the Winter Garden
Theatre on Broadway, and is currently playing
record-breaking engagements in Las Vegas and
on National Tour in the United States.
An independent, single mother who owns a
small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna is
about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter
she's raised alone. For Sophie's wedding, Donna
has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends-practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy, multidivorcee Tanya - from her one-time backing
band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has
secretly invited three guests of her own.
On a quest to find the identity of her father to
walk her down the aisle, she brings back three
men from Donna's past to the Mediterranean
The Launch Pad for
Atlanta Night Life
Fran Brill’s “My Life
as a Muppeteer”
June 28 Center for Puppetry Arts
404-873-3391 www.puppet.org
Emmy Award-winning actress and puppeteer
Fran Brill talks about her fascinating life juggling
her acting and puppeteering careers. Brill was
the first female Muppeteer hired by Jim Henson
on Sesame Street and is best known for creating
and performing Prairie Dawn and Zoe. She has
also performed with the Muppets on Saturday
Night Live, The Muppet Show, The Jim Henson
Hour, and Elmo in Grouchland. As an actress,
Brill has gueststarred on many
night-time dramas
including Law and
Order and her film
credits
include
Being
There,
Midnight Run, and
What About Bob?
Her presentation
includes backstage
video of Sesame
Street and a Q&A
opportunity.
PHIPPS PLAZA • BUCKHEAD • 404.814.9640
OPEN DAILY • PRIORITY SEATING AVAILABLE
www.TheTavernAtPhipps.com
FEATURE
2008 Summer Guide
FILM FESTIVALS
days. There will be no wine tasting prior to 2 p.m.
shows on Saturday or Sunday. Tickets are just $10
each for Wine Tasting (entry is valid only with the
2008 COCACOLA SUMMER FILM
purchase of a movie ticket and wine tasting attendFESTIVAL
ees must be at least 21 years of age.)Then pick your
The greatest rock-andseat and enjoy a magical
roll band of all time, an
pre-show experience
eavesdropping elephant,
featuring Larry Douglas
a classic and a contemEmbury at the “Mighty
porary romance, one of
Mo” organ, the tradition
filmdom’s best villains,
of a sing-a-long and a
a historical cinematic
classic cartoon.
chariot race, and an
Individual tickets are
adventurous young
$7
and ticket packs are
girl light up the big
$60
and include 12 tickscreen during the 2008
ets which may be used
Coca-Cola Summer
for any movie combinaFilm Festival at the Fox
tion
for individuals and
Theatre. The Festival
their
friends all summer.
starts in June with a
Individual
tickets and
line-up that includes
ticket packs are on sale
Shine A Light (June 5th
The Rolling Stones’ kick-off this year’s Fox at the Fox Theatre Box
at 7:30 p.m.),Horton
Office 404-249-6400 and
Hears a Who! (June 8th Film Festival with Shine A Light
at Ticketmaster 404-817at 2:00 p.m.) Atonement
8700, or www.ticketmaster.
(June 8th at 7:00 p.m.) Casablanca (June 17th at
com. All tickets are general admission.
7:30 p.m.) and No Country For Old Men (June
18th at 7:30 p.m.)
Come early and join in a favorite Atlanta tradition: Wine Tasting at the Fox beginning at 5:30
p.m. on weekdays and Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sun-
SUMMER FILMS AT THE HIGH
June heats up with Close Up: Don Cheadle and
Starring Javier Bardem. Cheadle has been nominat-
ed for nearly 60 awards and has won 15, including
three Black Reel awards and two Screen Actors
Guild awards. “Close Up: Don Cheadle” features
the actor’s intense, highly focused performances
in four powerful films that articulate African and
African American history. “Close Up” is presented
in coordination with the exhibitions “Road to
Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956–1968” and “After 1968: Contemporary
Artists and the Civil Rights Legacy,” both opening
on June 7. Close Up: Don Cheadle runs June 7–28,
and Starring Javier Bardem continues through June
26. Beginning June 1, tickets are $7 for the public
and $6 for Museum members, students and seniors. Patron-level members enter free. Tickets can
be purchased in advance online at www.High.org,
by visiting the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office or
by calling 404-733-5000.
26 – Viewers’ Choice of Back to the Future (1985),
Rocky (1976) or Footloose (1984)
Moviegoers are welcome to bring picnic baskets
and food, but no glass containers or alcoholic
beverages can be brought into Centennial Olympic
Park. Food and beverage vendors will be available.
In consideration of others, SCREEN ON THE
GREEN attendees are asked to leave pets at home.
Umbrellas and high-backed chairs are strongly
discouraged to allow visibility for all viewers. Grills
of any sort are strictly prohibited. Peachtree TV’s
SCREEN ON THE GREEN is a partnership with
Piedmont Park Conservancy, a member- and
donor-funded nonprofit organization that works
in partnership with the City of Atlanta to maintain
and enhance historic Piedmont Park. Plans call for
SCREEN ON THE GREEN to return to Piedmont
Park once drought conditions subside.
SCREEN ON THE GREEN MOVIE
FESTIVAL
FLICKS ON 5TH
Peachtree TV will present Atlanta’s popular
SCREEN ON THE GREEN in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park with five consecutive Thursday
evening films perfect for picnicking with friends
and family.
The complete viewing schedule for 2008 SCREEN
ON THE GREEN is as follows: May 29 – Jaws
(1975), June 5 – Big Momma’s House (2000), June
12 – Chicago (2002), June 19 – E.T. (1982), June
Flicks on 5th returns this summer to 5th Street at
Technology Square in Midtown with an incredible
lineup of the years’ blockbuster titles including: I
am Legend, Horton Hears a Who, The Bourne
Ultimatum, Hair Spray, Super Bad and 21. This free
summer movie series starts at dusk (approx. 9pm)
every Wednesday evening starting June 11 through
July 23 (no showing on July 4th week). This year
5th Street will be closed between Spring Street
and Techwood Drive so guests can bring their
own blankets and chairs for viewing and dining.
Moviegoers can eat in or carry out dinner at any
of the many restaurants located on 5th Street at
Technology Square. The event is scheduled rain
or shine. Please leave coolers, umbrellas, grills and
pets at home. Hourly parking is available in the
surface lot at 5th and Spring Streets across from
Barnes & Noble and the parking deck adjacent to
the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center on
Spring Street. For a more detailed movie schedule,
please visit www.flicksonfifth.com or call
404-894-2805.
NEIGHBORHOOD FESTIVALS:
TASTE OF
BROOKHAVEN
The fourth annual Taste
of Brookhaven is a
culinary experience you
do not want to miss.
Bringing you some of
Brookhaven’s finest
restaurants, diners are
treated to a variety of
favorite menu items
and wine pairing from
Bones, Haven, Roy’s and
much more!
The historical and
picturesque grounds
Taste of Brookhaven
of Brookhaven’s own
Oglethorpe University are
the backdrop for this neighborhood dinner party
on Saturday, June 14, 2008, 6p-10p. The opportunity to utilize the University’s beautiful quad adds
to the charm of the evening. Along with the excellent food and wine guests will enjoy the sounds of
Latin Pop Jazz band Marea Alta.
Ticket sales are available through the BAA website
and at participating restaurants and community
retail locations. Tickets are $40 prior to the event
and $50 at the door. Included in the ticket price is
unlimited food and wine, a commemorative wine
glass and gift bag. Guarantee your seating. A limited number of tables will be available for purchase
for $350. The price includes 6 tickets to the Taste
and a table.
For further information on the Brookhaven Arts
Alliance or the Taste of Brookhaven please visit
the website, www.brookhavenartsalliance.com or
contact the office at 404-266-3426.
VIRGINIAHIGHLAND
SUMMERFEST
The Virginia-Highland Civic Association is proud
to present the 25th annual Virginia-Highland
Summerfest, June 6 (2pm – 8pm), June 7( 10am
– 8pm), and June 8 (11am -6pm). Visitors to Summerfest can celebrate the beginning of summer by
shopping for original art in a variety of media - and
by enjoying great food and an exceptional array
of live music presented by radio station partner
DaveFM (92.9 FM). This year’s event also features
a 5K race on Saturday morning (register at www.
active.com) that features 1,000 runners, along with
activities designed for children in the KidsFest area
on Arcadia, adjacent to John Howell Park.
Summerfest takes place along tree-lined Virginia
Avenue, in the heart of the historic and charming Virginia-Highland neighborhood. Regularly
recognized by local media as on of Atlanta’s best
neighborhood festivals and consistently revered by
art professionals as one of the best artists’ markets
in the southeast, Summerfest is a great event for
the entire family.
DECATUR BEACH PARTY
Celebrate the beginning of summer at the annual
Decatur Beach Party held the Friday evening June
20th from 5pm until midnight. Decatur turns its
landlocked square into the Decatur Beach with
60 tons of sand, a kids’ boardwalk, live music, a
stage built across Ponce de Leon for dancing on
the street.
The Boardwalk features old fashioned carnival
type games, as well as a moon walk and other
inflatables. Music will be performed by The
Reputations on the Community Bandstand Stage
beginning at 5pm. Enjoy dancing in the street until
midnight to the music of Terry Lee and the GTs.
Tickets for adults are $10 at the gate and $6.50 in
advance at www.decaturdba.com. Children under
12 are free (limit two per paying adult). No coolers, glass or pets in beach party area.
ARTS AND SCI-FI FESTIVALS:
SCIFI SUMMER CON
The 8th Annual Sci-Fi Summer Con rolls in to
Crowne Plaza Hotel Atlanta-Marietta, 1775 Parkway Place SE, Friday through Sunday, June 6-8.
Sci-Fi Summer Con Atlanta is a science fiction
and fantasy convention
featuring literary and
media panel discussions,
celebrity Q&A’s, 24-hour
gaming, live musical and
theatrical performances,
film screenings, costume
contests, outdoor
activities, an art show, a
dealer’s room and much
more.
Panel discussions range
in topic from sciencefiction and fantasy to
anime and costuming.
Special guests include
directors Michael W. Bay
and Chris Thomas, authors Christina Barber and
Kristy Tallman, and media celebrities including
Atlanta’s own Ken Feinberg who portrayed the
“Chaos Demon” in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Sci-Fi Summer Con hosts two costume contests:
Hallway (any theme, worn throughout the Con)
and Outrageous 80s (film, TV, literature and comics themes from the 1980s to 1990s). Weather
permitting, the Con also boasts super soaker duels,
Nerf gun wars and target shooting, boffer battles,
CD discus throw, Warrior Challenges and other
outrageous outdoor activities. Sci-Fi Summer Con
offers free tabletop gaming, including miniatures,
board and specialty games; Texas hold’em; and
the signature, throw-back, classic video arcade
featuring stand-up, arcade style games and pinball
machines.
Sci-Fi Summer Con memberships cost $20 in advance (deadline applies) and $30 at the door (kids
under 12 get in free). Friday only passes cost $15 at
the door, while Saturday or Sunday only passes cost
$20 each. Memberships grant attendees access to
all events, activities and contests, in addition to
a con suite featuring free snacks and sodas. Visit
www.sfscon.net for more information or call 770428-4400.
JULY 24
SATURDAY, JULY 26
SATURDAY,
SEPTEMBER 20
DRAGON*CON
The inimitable Dragon*Con returns to Atlanta
for 4 Days of nonstop fun and excitement this
Labor Day Weekend August 29 - September 1,
2008. Located in the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, The
Marriott Marquis, The Hilton Atlanta and The
Atlanta Sheraton, DragonCon and its 30,000+
attendees will almost literally take over downtown
Atlanta. Among the highlights are the DragonCon
Parade, a sea of merchandise vendors, panels and
programming on virtually any pop culture topic
you could think of, live music, late night dances
and even a Miss Klingon
Beauty Pageant. Sean
Astin (Lord of the
Rings), Lance Henriksen (Aliens), Robert
Englund (Nightmare on
Elm Street), Linda Blair
(The Exorcist), Mickey
Dolenz (The Monkees),
Adam West (TV’s Batman, Family Guys) and
James Marsters (Buffy
the Vampire Slayer) are
just a few of the celebrities slated to attend
this years extravaganza.
Tickets are $65-$90 and can b ordered at 770-9090115, www.dragoncon.org.
TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE THROUGH TICKETMASTER AT 404-249-6400.
All dates, acts and ticket prices subject to change without notice. Ticket prices subject to applicable fees.
NATIONAL BLACK ARTS FESTIVAL
The National Black Arts Festival (NBAF), the
internationally acclaimed
celebration of the arts, is
pleased to announce its
20th Anniversary.
The 2008 NBAF
features a multitude of
art and culture offerings,
including: The Official
NBAF Artist Market
moving to its new home
at the Georgia World
Congress Center; the
NBAF Children’s Education Village; Pan African
Film Festival; Friday
Night Jazz at the High;
World Music Festival at
Centennial Olympic Park (acts TBA); Funk Jazz
Kafe; Summer Institute; and, Ebb and Flow: The
Next Generation of Poets Speak.
NBAF 2008 20th Anniversary Highlights
include: The fine art fair of the National Black
Arts Festival, Mason Murer Gallery, July 17 - 20.
Legends Celebration: An Evening with Gladys
Knight, Atlanta Civic Center, July 19. Wynton
Marsalis/ Robert Spano concert with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Woodruff Arts Center,
July 19. A Tribute to Judith Jamison, Artistic
Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theatre, featuring The Urban Bush Women,
Ron K. Brown/EVIDENCE and dancers from
the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Rialto
Center for the Arts, July 19. A Requiem Marks
the Moment, commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., featuring artist Carrie Mae Weems.
Commissioned in partnership with Savannah
College of Art & Design, Woodruff Arts Center,
July 15-July 27. Oprah Winfrey Presents the
Color Purple, The Fabulous Fox Theatre Atlanta,
July 15-August 3.
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Tickets for the Festival, which takes place July
18-27 in and around Atlanta, Georgia, are now
on sale. Tickets for festival events are available
via the web at www.nbaf.org or by calling the
Woodruff Arts Center at 404-733-5000.
AREA ATTRACTIONS
4TH OF JULY AT LENOX SQUARE
Put on your red, white and blue, and head to
Lenox Square
for the largest
fireworks show
in the Southeast. Activities
for the whole
family include
the Kid Zone,
featuring giant
slides, a rock
wall, face painters, balloon artist, an obstacle
course and
Lenox Square Fireworks
more. Live musical entertainment begins at 6 p.m. on Lenox
Square’s outdoor main stage with the dazzling
fireworks display beginning at approximately
9:40 p.m. WSB-TV Channel 2 will broadcast
the festivities live beginning at 9 p.m. Everyone
is invited to join in Atlanta’s legendary celebration; admission is free! www.lenoxsquare.com
STONE MOUNTAIN PARK LA
SERSHOW
This summer the Georgia skies explode with
color during Stone Mountain Park’s 25th Anniversary Lasershow Spectacular. This Atlanta
tradition celebrates its silver anniversary with
a digitally re-mastered show. New additions to
the Lasershow Spectacular include a musical
score featuring a parity of all-time favorite tunes
and medleys from themes such as Star Wars,
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Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones. Longlasting traditional favorites such as “The Devil
Went Down to Georgia,” “Trilogy” and “Celestial
Soda Pop” are also back by popular demand.
Admission is free. Vehicle entry into the park is
$8. More information call 770-498-5690 or visit
www.stonemountainpark.com.
PEACHTREE ROAD RACE
This year’s Fourth of July Atlanta tradition will
feature 45,000
runners competing in one of the
country’s best
known 10K races.
The race which
starts at Lenox
Square was forced
to move the finish
this year from
Piedmont Park
due to drought.
The new finish
line will be at
Ponce and Juniper. Race time is at 7:30 AM so get
up early. For more information on how to volunteer go to www.atlantatrackclub.org
SUMMER CONCERTS
LAKEWOOD AMPHITHEATRE
Atlanta’s largest and premier dedicated concert
venue has another stellar line-up of shows this
summer. 2008 summer line-up includes: Jimmy
Buffett (June 5); Tim McGraw (June 11); R.E.M.
(June 21); Dave Mathew’s Band (July 7); Vans
Warped Tour (July 9); Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom
HuckJam (July 24); 311 (July 26); Poison (July 27);
Linkin Park (Aug 3); Rockstar Energy Mayhem
Festival (August 12); Jack Johnson (August 13)
and Jonas Brothers (August 20). Tickets available
at www.livenation.com or ticketmaster charge by
phone 404.249.6400.
ASO’S CLASSIC CHASTAIN
The Delta Classic Chastain series is in full swing
again this summer. Some of the most anticipated
performances include: Melissa Etheridge (June 20);
George Benson (June 21); Kenny G (June 25); Boz
Scaggs (July 2); Soul Asylum and Gin Blossoms
(July 9); Michael McDonald and Al Green (July 16);
Crosby, Stills & Nash (August 2) and Erica Badu
(August 27). Tickets available at www.ticketmaster.
com or charge by phone 404.249.6400.
VERIZON AMPHITHEATRE
Atlanta’s newest concert venue has a great inaugural line-up of shows. Some top performances
include: Stevie Nicks (June 10); Steely Dan (June
11); Tom Petty (July 9); Foreigner and Bryan
Adams (July 20); Boston and Styx (August 17); and
Rod Stewart (August 27). Tickets available at www.
ticketmaster.com or charge by phone 404.249.6400.
CONCERTS AT BOTANICAL
GARDENS
SunTrust Concerts in the Garden is back for its
6th season with a stellar lineup that includes:
Shawn Colvin (Friday, June 20); John Hiatt and the
Ageless Beauties (Friday, July 11); Jerry Jeff Walker
with The Train Wrecks (Friday, July 18); Lucinda
Williams (Friday, July 25); and KT Tunstall (Friday,
August 1).
The intimate setting on the Great Lawn offers
concert-goers a one-of-a-kind experience with
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some of the music industry’s most acclaimed
artists. Visit www.concertsinthegarden.org for
complete details.
BEACH ESCAPES
SANDPIPER BEACON BEACH
RESORT; PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL
Only a tank of gas away, The Sandpiper Beacon is
one of the most popular spots for vacations on the
Florida Gulf Coast. The hotel is a self contained
resort offering so many recreational activities for
different age groups that most guests never even
leave the property. The Beacon sits on over 1000
feet of beach frontage.
Escape and unwind with a cool beverage, and relax
at the Tiki Bar and marvel at the breathtaking
sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico. Onsite amenities include: Indoor Heated Pool, Lazy River Ride,
Turbo Slide and Miniature Golf Course.
This summer the smash hit duo “Gilligan Loves
MaryAnn” performs daily with hits from Sheryl
Crow, Tom Petty, Jimmy Buffett and other favorites. There is also family karaoke from 7 – 10PM
each night and a DJ spins from 10PM – 4AM. July
5th will feature the top fireworks show in the area
from the national company Pyroshows.
Hotel rooms offer kitchens and there are outdoor
bbq grills on the property. All entertainment
and amenities come free of charge. For more
information call 800.488.8828 or go to www.
sandpiperbeacon.com.
DINING
Margaritas!
100 Tequilas
Lime Optional.
Tequila is all the rage this summer!
Agave
242 Boulevard SE
404.588.0006 agaverestaurant.com
Voted Atlanta’s Best Margarita, Agave with its
high energy dining room, blends upscale
Southwestern cuisine with an extensive wine
list, tequila bar and exceptional service. For the
past 5 years Agave has been rated excellent by
the Zagat Survey, voted Best Margarita and one
of ATL’s top 50 dining facilities.
Agave only uses the finest ingredients and
products and uses only fresh squeezed lime
juice in all their margaritas which has been why
they have won so many awards for the drinks.
They have 85 tequilas and 10 different award
winning margaritas. Some of their more
renown drinks are: The Cuervo Traditional
with Jose Cuervo Especial, Fresh Lime, Triple
Sec & Sour. The Agave Reposado Margatini,
served straight up with Cuervo Tradicional
Reposado, Triple Sec, Fresh Lime & Sour. The
Agave Don Eduardo Anejo with Don Eduardo
Anejo, Triple Sec, Fresh Lime, & Sour served
on the rocks. Agave should be your first stop
on your quest for the best margarita in the city!
Coyote’s Mexican Grill
2740 East College Ave. 404.373.9383
With great food, friendly staff and strong margaritas, Coyote’s has built up a loyal following in
the Avondale Estates area of Decatur. Their patio
is the place to be Friday nights as their four piece
Mariachi band plays to the crowd.
Coyote’s is known for their extensive list of
tequilas. This summer try their Texas
Margarita made with
100% Agave Tequila
and Grand Marnier
Or sample one of
their exotic brands of
tequila on the rocks.
To cool off try one of
their 7 GIANT flavored Margaritas.
Guava, Mango,
Strawberry, Papaya,
Banana, Raspberry
and Wild Berry are all made from 100% fruit.
These fruity specialties are all made using
Sauza Gold premium tequila.
Mexico City Gourmet
2134 N. Decatur Rd. 404.634.1128
www.MexicoCityGourmet.com
For 25 years, Mexico City Gourmet has been
a Decatur institution. They are located in N.
Decatur Plaza on the corner of N. Decatur Rd.
and Clairmont. In recent years, Mexico City
Gourmet has been voted best Mexican
Restaurant and won awards for their food and
Margaritas.
The margaritas here are outstanding. The
Classic is their original margarita and has been
a favorite here for over 20 years. The El
Dorado is a blend of Jose Cuervo, Contreau and
Gran Gala. Their Villa Margarita consists of
Jose Cuervo Classico, 1800 Cuervo and Blue
Curaceo. They also have several fruity margar-
itas including strawberry, mango and peach.
You can also make a margarita of your own
using any of their quality tequilas including
Patron, Don Julio, Herradura and Tres
Generationes. The margaritas are sold by the
glass, jumbo size (18oz), by the liter or pitcher.
They have 12 lunch specials on the menu for
under $7 offered weekdays from 11-3:30pm
with $3.50 margaritas. Each Monday at Mexico
City Gourmet their classic margaritas are sold
at $3 and every Thursday for the margarita afficionados they offer the ‘1800’ ultimate margarita for only $4!! They also offer nightly specials
for summer.
El Azteca
939 Ponce de Leon 404.881.6040
Overlooking Ponce De Leon Avenue, the
award winning outdoor patio at El Azteca is
one of the most happening places to be in summer. El Azteca boasts a renovated interior in
case you can’t get a table outside. However if
you are lucky enough to grab one, there is
nothing better than to hang out on their patio
with one of their “kick-ass”margaritas. Served
as small, medium, half-pitcher and pitcher they
come in four flavors. The traditional Texas
plus fruity Strawberry, Peach and Mango.
Popular tequila served here include 1800,
Cuervo and Patron.
This long serving neighborhood restaurant
serves all the standard Mexican dishes you'd
expect, such as starters like chips and salsa and
entrees including burritos, chalupas, enchiladas
and a wide selection of vegetarian dishes.
Blue Frog Cantina
469 Flat Shoals Ave. SE 404.658.6108
www.bluefrogatl.com
Under new
ownership, this
popular East
Atlanta cantina
is offering
exciting new
menu items
and events this
summer.
Among them is
their $1 Taco
deal every Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday is
ladies night as they serve up frozen margaritas
and featuring DJ sassy. Team Trivia is offered
Thursday nights at 8PM and Poker is held on
Sunday nights also at 8PM.
Their popular patio is reserved for people
watching and tossing back one of their 17 margaritas. Their many fruity flavors include
banana, tangerine and orange. The house
favorite is pomegranate served with fresh
pomegranate liquor. Some of their killer margaritas include the Texas made with Grand
Marnier and the Cadillac made with Cointreau.
Blue Frog is open Monday - Saturday from
5pm - 12am and Sundays 5pm - 11pm. There
is ample free parking and credit cards are
accepted.
Sweet Devil Moon
980 Piedmont Ave. 404.347.3600
www.sdmatlanta.com
Sweet Devil Moon serves authentic Peruvian
Tapas and Great Margaritas to boot! Located
just off the corner of Piedmont and 10th Street,
they offer a great enclosed patio that is a part
of the hot Midtown scene. A variety of margaritas including lime, peach, mango and stawberry are served either frozen or on the rocks.
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argaritas
Located N. Decatur Plaza
404-634-1128 | www.MexicoCityGourment.com
“Serving Emory / Decatur Since 1982”
East Atlanta
DOLLAR TACOS
Mondays &
Tuesdays
Largest
Selection of
Margaritas
Wednesdays 8pm: LADIES NIGHT
WITH DJ SASSY
Thursdays 8pm: EAV TEAM TRIVIA
Sundays 8pm: POKER
404.658.6108
469 Flat Shoals Ave. SE | Atlanta, GA 30316
2008
FILM
BY MITCHELL HUGHES
W
ELL, SPRING HAS SPRUNG,
but the Summer movie season
seems to keep coming earlier
and earlier. We saw last year’s award
season end in February with No Country
for Old Men receiving the Oscar for Best
Picture (that was one hell of a haircut,
wasn’t it?), we saw Lady Liberty removed
of her crown in Cloverfield, and though we
were made to see Jason Segal’s junk we’ve
all but forgotten Sarah Marshall. Iron
Man is already a hit, Speed Racer already
isn’t, but such is the cutthroat world of the
Summer blockbuster. Enough talk. Let’s get
it on!
MAY
SAVAGE GRACE
May 30th
The Cast: Julianne
Moore, Eddie Redmayne,
Stephen Dillane
The Plot: Spanning
1946 to 1972, the film
is a dramatization of
the shocking murder of
Barbara Daly Baekeland,
a London socialite who
married above her class
to the heir of a plastics
fortune, and depicts the
tumultuous and sordid
details of their dysfunctional family which
includes a son.
The Scoop: For an
actress as daring as
Julianne Moore (Short
Cuts, anyone?), it’s ludicrous to think that
she hasn’t won an Oscar. She might have
a chance for another nomination with
Savage Grace, if only it wasn’t just a tad
lurid (and by a tad, we mean more like a
ton). But bonus points should be awarded
for the film not being titled Saving Grace.
Wasn’t that a Kate Hudson movie? If it
isn’t, it probably will be.
THE FOOT FIST WAY
May 30th
The Cast: Danny McBride, Mary Jane
Bostic,
The Plot: Through the five tenets of
Tae Kwon Do: courtesy, self-control,
perseverance, integrity and indomitable
spirit small town Tae Kwon Do instructor Fred Simmons (McBride) teaches his
young protégés the power of the Foot and
Fist. But when his wife leaves him he and
his odd-ball friends make a pilgrimage
to meet the greatest Martial Artist of all
time, “The Truck.”
The Scoop: It may not be saying much,
but McBride all but stole Hot Rod from
underneath Andy Samberg (he was hilarious as Rod’s ramp-making friend, Rico)
and is on the cusp of comedy stardom.
This deadpan film originally came to the
attention to FunnyorDie.com founders
Will Ferrell and Adam McKay in 2006, and
the duo helped get it a theatrical release.
It just might be the sleeper hit of the summer.
JUNE
YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN
June 6th
The Cast: Adam Sandler, Emmanuelle
Chriqui, John Turturro, Nick Swarsdon
The Plot: In You Don’t Mess With the
Zohan, a comedy from screenwriters
Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel (Triumph
the Insult Comic Dog) and Judd Apatow,
Sandler stars as Zohan, an Israeli commando who fakes his own death in order
to pursue his dream: becoming a hairstylist in New York. Dennis Dugan, the maker
of some of the worst so-called comedies in
memory, directs.
The Scoop: Sandler
continues to dance with
the one who brung him
and is back with another familiar, conventional “Adam Sandler
Movie”. Granted, most
of his films do not
contain Israeli soldiers
or amorous hairdressers, and with Reign
Over Me he’s shown
some out-of-the-box
thinking, but it would
be a shame to think
that his Big Daddy,
Waterboy-era fanbase
has outgrown him.
KUNG FU PANDA
June 6th
The Cast (Featuring
the voices of ): Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie
The Plot: Jack Black is the voice of Po the
Panda, the laziest of all the animals in the
Valley of Peace. Po’s dreams become reality when he joins the world of Kung Fu and
studies alongside his idols, the legendary
Furious Five-- Tigress,
Crane, Mantis, Viper
and Monkey-- under the
leadership of their guru,
Master Shifu. Suddenly,
their world is threatened
by the vengeful and
treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung, and Po is
the unlikely one chosen
to defend their peaceful
existence.
The Scoop: Try as they
might, DreamWorks
Animation can’t quite
measure up to the consistent excellence that
is Pixar. As long as they
continue to dabble in
tired pop culture references and in-jokes only
parents will get, Kung Fu
Panda is likely to be nothing more than a
temporary diversion on a hot day.
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
June 13th
The Cast:
Edward
Norton,
Liv Tyler,
Tim Roth,
William Hurt
The Plot: The
Hulk returns, this
time played by Ed
Norton in place
of Eric Bana and
directed by Louis Leterrier
in place of Oscar-winner
Ang Lee. When the movie
begins, Bruce Banner
has already transformed
into the giant green Hulk
and hiding out in Brazil
trying to find a cure for the
gamma-ray exposure that turns him
into a monster. On his trail is Gen.
Thunderbolt Ross (Hurt) and Emil
Blonsky (Roth), a soldier who turns
into his foe, Abomination.
The Scoop: The new film is said to be
truer, not only to the
comic book, but to the
‘70s TV show. However,
there have reportedly
been major creative
differences over the
final cut of the picture
between Norton and
Marvel Studios. Marvel
opted for a leaner, more
fast-paced version and
apparently prevailed.
If Ed Norton is as
apoplectic as has been
reported… well, that’s
not a good sign.
THE HAPPENING
June 13th
The Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel,
John Leguizamo, Spencer Breslin
The Plot: While on
a train journey to sort
out their rocky marriage, Wahlberg (as
a Philadelphia-based
science teacher) and
Deschanel discover
that a mysterious and
deadly force is wreaking
havoc throughout major
American cities. Heading for the Pennsylvania
farmlands, where they
hope they’ll be out of
reach of the grisly, evergrowing environmental
attacks, they discover
that nowhere is safe.
The Scoop: The Happening looks to be a
return to form for M.
Night Shyamalan after the failures of The
Village and The Lady in the Water. It
looks incredibly scary. Give him credit
also for the unlikely pairing of Wahlberg
and Daschanel as a married couple. On
the downside, the chances are slim of
someone in this movie declaring, “It’s my
happening baby and it
freaks me out.” Which
is ironic when you think
about it.
GET SMART
June 20th
The Cast: Steve Carrell, Anne Hathaway,
Dwayne “The Rock”
Johnson, Alan Arkin,
Terrence Stamp
The Plot: Maxwell
Smart (Carell) is on a
mission to thwart the
latest plot for world
domination by the evil
crime syndicate known
as KAOS. When the
headquarters of the U.S.
spy agency CONTROL
is attacked and the identities of its agents
compromised, the Chief has no choice but
to promote his ever-eager analyst, Maxwell Smart. With little field experience,
but with the help of Agent 99, Smart must
thwart the doomsday plans of KAOS.
The Scoop: It’s hard to predict which
Steve Carrell will show up in Get Smart.
Will it be the Carrell of 40 Year Old Virgin
and The Office, or will it be the Carrell of
Evan Almighty and his somewhat stilted
SNL hosting stints? More importantly,
does director Peter Segal (The Longest
Yard, 50 First Dates) have what it takes to
match the sardonic wit and comedic timing of the classic 1960s spy spoof sitcom?
We wouldn’t bet on it.
THE LOVE GURU
June 20th
The Cast: Mike Myers, Jessica Alba,
Justin Timberlake, Romany Malco, Verne
Troyer
The Plot: Pitka (Myers) is an American
raised by gurus in India who returns to
Canada in order to break into the self-help
business. His first challenge is to settle the
romantic troubles and subsequent professional skid of star Toronto Maple Leafs
hockey player Darren Roanoke (Malco),
whose wife left him for rival skater Jacques
Grande (Timberlake). Jessica Alba plays
Jane Bullard, the owner of the team and
Pitka’s love interest.
The Scoop: Myers
modeled the milky
voice of Pitka on his
own spiritual guru,
Deepak Chopra. The
two appeared together
in IFC’s Iconclasts
series, where Myers
explained that the death
of both his father and
his hero, George Harrison, eventually led
him on a spiritual quest
to create this film.
And yet, in spite of his
enlightened state of
consciousness and gift
for creating inspired
characters, he also has
a weakness for lowbrow
humor. Plus, something tells me Austin
Powers has Guru Pitka’s number in his
rolodex.
WALL-E
June 27th
Robotic Voices Designed by: Ben Burtt
The Plot: The makers of the newest Pixar
animated film wish to ask us, “What if
mankind had to leave Earth and somebody
forgot to turn off the last robot”? WALL-E
(short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter
Earth-Class) is that last and loneliest of
robots who, for 700 years, has dutifully
collected trash on an isolated and
empty planet. Suddenly he meets
a sleek search robot named EVE,
who discovers that WALL-E has
inadvertently stumbled upon the
key to the planet’s future.
The Scoop: WALL-E appears to
be a leap forward in a photorealistic style of computer animation, but it also represents a bit of
a risk for Pixar in that the robots’
only means of communication are
electronic beeps and bloops created
by Oscar-winning sound designer Ben
Burtt. If it’s possible for the world’s
most consistently excellent film studio
to have yet another breakthrough at this
point, WALL-E certainly looks like just
that.
WANTED
June 27th
The Cast: Angelina Jolie, James MacAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Common
The Plot: Young Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) finds out that his long-lost father is
an assassin. When his father is murdered,
the son is recruited into his father’s old
organization and trained by a man named
Sloan (Freeman) to follow in his dad’s
footsteps. Jolie plays Fox, the woman who
teaches Wes to unlock his dormant powers
of reflex and agility, but ultimately proves
not to be who she seems.
The Scoop: If this movie is wanting for
anything, it would be a better title. Based
upon the explosive graphic novel series by
Mark Millar, Wanted appears ready to offer only the occasional cheap thrill, including a bullet-bending trick a la The Matrix.
JULY
HANCOCK
July 2nd
The Cast: Will Smith, Charlize Theron,
Jason Bateman
The Plot: Will Smith is John Hancock, an
alcoholic and lazy vagrant with no respect
for authority or property. Ironically, he
also possesses superpowers, and the de-
struction he leaves in his wake leaves him
despised by everyone. A publicist (Bateman) emerges to help rehabilitate him, and
the new superhero eventually begins an
affair with the publicist’s wife (Theron).
The Scoop: Smith is already predicting that Hancock, a film that has been in
development hell for 12 years, will be his
biggest to date. A bold
statement, to be sure,
but if you haven’t already
learned by now, when
it comes to the 4th of
July movie weekend, you
don’t mess with the Will
Smith!
HELLBOY II: THE
GOLDEN ARMY
July 11th
The Cast: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Jeffrey
Tambor, Doug Jones
The Plot: Ron Perlman
is back as Hellboy, the
possessor of the coolest pair of severed devil
horns in movie history.
In this sequel to the 2004
film, the mythical world
starts a rebellion against humanity in order to rule the Earth, so Hellboy and his
team must return to save the world from
the rebellious creatures.
The Scoop: Expectations are a
bit higher than they were for the
original sleeper, which found a cult
following and earned
$59 million at
the box
mastermind known to the terrified citizens
of Gotham as The Joker.
The Scoop: Long gone
are the days of the
campy Pop Art aesthetic
of the ‘60s TV show.
Given the tragic and
untimely death of Heath
Ledger, the newest
incarnation of the Dark
Knight seems from the
outside at least to be
all the more depressing. That the film might
draw more interest from
non-devotees may not
be a bad thing. According to director Christopher Nolan, Ledger’s
approach to playing the
Joker was “totally fearless,” and perhaps that’s
the best way to remember him in his last performance.
MAMMA MIA!
July 18th
The Cast: Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, July
Walters
The Plot: An independent single mother
who owns a small
hotel on an
idyllic Greek
island, Donna
(Streep) is
about to see
her young
daughter
Sophie
Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins
The Plot: Will Ferrell
and John C. Reilly play
Brennen Huff and Dale
Doback respectively,
two overgrown underemployed man-children,
who become stepbrothers when their
single parents marry
and move in with one
another. Initially full
of contempt, they form
and unlikely bond as
they hatch an elaborate
plan to bring their parents back together.
The Scoop: Look,
nobody says Will Ferrell
has to grow up, unless
of course he wants to,
but it sure would be
nice if for just once Ferrell, Reilly and McKay would put as much
effort into making a cohesive movie while
sticking to the script (that they themselves
wrote) as they do constantly coming up
with one-liners on the set that ultimately
leads to a funny trailer and yet a bad film.
AMERICAN TEEN
July 25th
The Cast: 4 real life senior classmen at
Indiana high school Warsaw Community
High
The Plot: Nanette Burstein is a documentary filmmaker who, in her films
On the Ropes and The Kid Stays in The
Picture, has displayed a great respect for
her subjects and a dedication to portraying them fairly and honestly. In American Teen, she focuses her attention on a
diverse group of high school teenagers
as they navigate the struggles of school,
cliques and life in general.
The Scoop: American Teen premiered
at Sundance in January, received an
award for directing and was picked
up for distribution. It has drawn
comparisons to The Breakfast Club
and has garnered some buzz. Gee, it’s
so great to finally see young people
in this country get the chance to voice
their thoughts and feelings…
AUGUST
office. But
for a superhero action movie, the Hellboy franchise
is relatively low-key and seems
to prefer subtle, dry humor in the midst of
demons and monsters doing battle. Director Guillermo Del Toro (aka Peter Jackson’s heir apparent on The Hobbit) hopes
to convey a sense of loss of fantasy and
imagination, not only
in his fictional world,
but in our world as well.
Hey you! That sounds
like Winter Movie Season talk...
THE DARK KNIGHT
July 18th
The Cast: Christian
Bale, Heath Ledger,
Michael Caine, Morgan
Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal
The Plot: With the
help of Lieutenant Jim
Gordon and District
Attorney Harvey Dent,
Batman sets out to
dismantle the remaining
criminal organizations
that plague Gotham City.
The partnership proves to be effective, but
they soon find themselves prey to a reign
of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal
be married. Donna invites
two old friends but Sophie
has tracked down three men from her
mother’s past to see which one may be her
father. The film is based on the popular Broadway musical set to the songs of
ABBA.
The Scoop: If the word
of mouth success of Nia
Vardalos’ My Big Fat
Greek Wedding could
have the same effect on
Mamma Mia!, the producers of the film would
be very happy. People
from Greece sure seem
to want to see movies
that have something
to do with their home
country. This is probably because there
aren’t a whole lot of
them, movies that is.
And as if you didn’t
know this was a chick
flick, the exclamation
point pretty much seals
the deal.
STEP BROTHERS
July 25th
The Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly,
THE ROCKER
August 1st
The Cast: Rainn Wilson, Will Arnett,
Christina Applegate, Josh Gad, Jeff Garlin,
Teddy Geiger
The Plot: Musician Robert “Fish” Fishman (Wilson) is fired from Vesuvius, a
fictional 1980’s hair band, before they
become famous. The movie follows him as
he gets a second chance at fame when he
joins the garage band of his nephew, Matt
(Gad). His love interest (Applegate) is
the mother of the band’s guitarist, Curtis
(Geiger).
The Scoop: If it’s even remotely fathomable, Pete Best-- the original drummer for
the Beatles before he got the boot, only to
see his former mates achieve the heights
of greatness and glory-- has a cameo role
in the film. He plays himself, as you might
imagine, and that alone is worth the price
of admission. No hard feelings, Pete.
THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR
August 1st
The Cast: Brenden Fraser, Jet Li, Maria
Bello
The Plot: The Mummy franchise shifts
from Egypt to China for this next chapter
in the adventure series. Brendan Fraser
returns as explorer Rick O’Connell to
combat the resurrected Qin Emperor (Jet
Li) in an epic battle that races from the
catacombs of ancient China high into the
frigid Himalayas. He along with his wife
Evelyn (Bello) and son Alex (Luke Ford)
must stop a mummy awoken
from a 2,000-year-old curse who
threatens to plunge the world
into his merciless, unending
service.
The Scoop: Another Mummy
movie? You gotta be kidding.
Director Rob Cohen says that
although he had walked away
from the XXX and Fast and the
Furious franchises, his conversion to Buddhism inspired him
to make a movie set in China.
The unpredictable but always
likable Brendan Fraser returns
as well and, in spite of non-stop
CGI action, he might be the
film’s strongest attraction. But
no Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson?
What’s up with that!?!
SWING VOTE
August 1st
The Cast: Kevin Costner,
Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Stanley Tucci, Nathan Lane
The Plot: Costner stars as Bud Johnson,
an apathetic, beer slinging, lovable loser,
who is coasting through a life that has
passed him by, except for the one bright
spot in his mundane existence is his precocious 12 year old daughter, Molly. She
takes care of them both, until one mischievous moment on Election Day, when
she accidentally sets off a chain of events
which culminates in the presidential election coming down to one vote, her dads.
Suddenly, Bud Johnson becomes the voice
for everybody when the world realizes that
his vote will be the one that elects the next
president.
The Scoop: It seems like the more times
the notoriously cantankerous Kevin
Costner plays these care-free loafers the
more you kind of want to have a beer with
him. He’s definitely getting smarter with
choosing more off the beaten path roles
and it might just be his road back to the
respectability and stature he once possessed. Swing Vote looks like the kind of
bipartisan, populist crowd pleaser we used
to get with movies like Dave.
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
August 8th
The Cast: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Bill
Hader, Rosie Perez, Gary Cole
The Plot: That’s “plot,” not pot. Oh, but
there’s that too. Rogen plays stoner Dale
Denton, who has only one reason to visit
his equally lazy dealer, Saul Silver: to purchase weed. Specifically, a rare new strain
called Pineapple Express. But when Dale
becomes the only witness to a murder by a
crooked cop and the city’s most dangerous
drug lord, he panics and dumps his stash
of Pineapple Express at the scene. Both
men hit the road, but soon realize that
their herb is traceable and that the bad
guys are hot on their trail.
The Scoop: Judd Apatow protégés Seth
Rogen and James Franco have not officially been reunited since the classic
NBC series Freaks and Geeks until now.
Apatow’s roster of stars has a new member
in director David Gordon Green (George
Washington) which no doubt gives this
movie considerable cache. And although
he’s only the producer of this, one can only
wonder what comes first, the Judd Apatow
Backlash or the Judd Apatow Backlash
backlash?
TROPIC THUNDER
August 15th
The Cast: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert
Downey Jr., Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan,
Matthew McConaughey, Danny McBride
The Plot: A group of generally spoiled
and vainglorious movie stars filming an
epic Vietnam War movie find themselves
in an actual war zone and are forced to
become the soldiers they are portraying
when their fed-up writer-director decides to dump them in the
middle of the jungle.
The Scoop: Thunder is Stiller’s
first time in the director’s chair
since Zoolander in 2001 but his
new creation has more of the absurdist feel of his short-lived Fox
sketch comedy series. Among
the handful of bold choices is
the casting of Downey Jr. as an
eccentric, “serious” actor who
undergoes a risky medical procedure to darken his skin to play a
black man. As you might imagine, Stiller had initially planned
to hire an African American
actor. But most buzzed about
is Tom Cruise’s cameo as a
balding, overweight studio boss
blowhard. However, Thunder’s
producers are doing their best
to keep that under wraps so, just
pretend you didn’t hear that. For
the love of God people, keep it to
yourselves!
CROSSING OVER
August 22nd
The Cast: Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Ray
Liotta, Cliff Curtis, Ashley Judd
The Plot: Crossing Over is a multi-character canvas about immigrants of different
nationalities struggling to achieve legal
status in Los Angeles. The film deals with
the border, document fraud, the asylum
and green card process, work-site enforcement, naturalization, the office of counter
terrorism and the clash of cultures.
The Scoop: Few details are available
regarding the production of the film, although given the cast and director Wayne
Kramer (The Cooler) it sounds like an
early critical favorite that may stay around
long enough for the onslaught of award
season that, like Summer, seems to start a
little earlier every year.
FILM INTERVIEW
HURT’S SO GOOD: Whether Playing a U.S. President or
the Incredible Hulk’s Nemesis, William Hurt Raises the Game
BY B. LOVE
W
ITH FOUR ACADEMY AWARD
nominations (and one win, for
1986’s Kiss Of The Spider Woman)
and more than 50 credits over the course of a
respected 30-year film career, William Hurt is
hardly the first actor one might consider for a lead
role in a comic book adaptation about a scientist
turned into a hulking monster by gamma radiation.
But just ask the Washington, DC native about
his turn as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross
in this month’s The Incredible Hulk and you’ll
watch a broad smile cross his grizzled face. The
sequel to the 2003 film directed by Ang Lee, The
Incredible Hulk finds Edward Norton taking over
the Bruce Banner/Hulk role from Eric Bana, with
Hurt’s Ross both the military mastermind trying
to capture the green giant and the father of Betty
Ross (Liv Tyler), Banner’s love interest.
We recently sat down with the iconic star of
films such as Altered States, Children of a Lesser
God, Broadcast News and A History of Violence
to talk about everything from Bill Clinton and
politics to complex characters and comic books.
I read somewhere that you spoke with Bill
Clinton during your research for your role in
Vantage Point. What was he like in person?
It’s amazing how available he was, how personable. Imagine the number of people he has to
meet! So I was pretty floored by that, but it was
a quick conversation because I was pressed for
time when I got through to him. Imagine me
saying, “Mr. President, I gotta go. I’ve got a plane
to catch…” It was absurd for me to be telling him
that, but I found him even in that circumstance to
be very decent.
I heard you’re going to Europe for your next
film?
Yes, to work with Julie Delpy on her next film,
which is called The Countess.
And you play the bad guy in that?
I don’t know. It’s set in the feudal ages, when I
think everyone was pretty much basically bad. Or
maybe we’re all still
bad, I don’t know.
And now you’re
playing the bad guy
in The Incredible
Hulk.
In The Incredible
Hulk, he’s not a bad
guy either.
He’s not a villain?
Nooooo... He’s
conflicted. (Laughter)
Did you love The
Hulk when you were
a kid?
I did– I loved it!
So I didn’t blink. I
jumped at it, and
then I found out
after I signed up that it’s one of my 18-year-old
son’s favorite comics.
So now you’re the cool dad.
I don’t know if I’m cool. It depends on the day
when your kid’s a teenager.
wasn’t questioning himself. I think unless you
were asked to play one, and then you’d have to
play a simpleton, or a crazy person, or an angel. A
pathologue or a saint. One of the bookends of life.
Could you talk a bit about your character in the
film?
General Ross is conflicted. He wants Hulk’s
power, but is humiliated by Hulk’s conscience.
He actually sees and occasionally recognizes that
it’s more developed
than his own, even
though he’s a patriot
and a warrior for his
country. He’s sacrificed
immensely for that
purpose, but at the expense of his humanity,
which he occasionally
recovers.
Your character in Mr. Brooks didn’t seem very
conflicted.
That’s not a person. He’s there to provoke
conflict, pure and simple. That’s a wonderful
thing for an actor to get to play, because it’s a real
clear throughline. Brooks was a lot of fun for me
because I didn’t have to worry about playing a human being. Playing a human being is real difficult.
Look at the dimensions of humanity, which are
always to some extent in doubt. To me, one of the
standard events in human experience is, “Jeez, I
don’t know what’s going on here today, or what’s
going to happen next.” We don’t quite know.
There are people who are completely committed
to no more surprises, and there’s something to be
said for that. But it’s gonna throw armies of babies
out with the bathwater.
Was your character in
A History of Violence
conflicted? Was Richard III conflicted?
They’re all conflicted.
Yes, definitely.
Other than the Julie Delphy film, what else are
you working on next?
Actually [Vantage Point director] Pete Travis
and I are talking about doing a film on Nelson
Mandela in South Africa, and I’m really chomping
at the bit to get started on that.
Is there even such a
thing as a non-conflicted character?
I don’t think I could
identify with one who
Would you be playing De Klerk?
No, I would be a poly sci professor who was
involved in the back room negotiations, which
took place mostly in England before Mandela was
let out of prison.
FILM INTERVIEW
TENACIOUS JB- JACK BLACK ON
MOVIES, MUSIC & BEING A DAD
BY B. LOVE
I
T’S BEEN
seven years
since I first met
the force of nature
that is Jack Black in
a Beverly Hills hotel
suite, but movie
stardom, worldtouring rock god status and a burgeoning
family don’t seem
to have changed the
38-year-old much.
Though his hair
is currently dyed
shockingly blonde
for a film role, he
still bristles with
sarcastic wit, his
manic eyebrows
and expressive facial
contortions like a master class in the fine
art of comedy. Though he may have a
musician wife (cellist-singer Tanya Haden,
of Let’s Go Sailing fame) and a toddler
son, Sam, he’s still an unpredictable ball
of spastic energy, his id unleashed for the
amusement of all. And though movies like
The Holiday and Margot At The Wedding
allowed him to stretch his talents and play
more serious roles (not to mention romancing Kate Winslet and Jennifer Jason
Leigh), films like this month’s Kung Fu
Panda and August’s Ben Stiller-directed
Tropic Thunder prove that comedies
remain his bread and butter.
Truth is, Jack Black is the rare Hollywood talent who doesn’t seem all that
affected by fame, preferring hanging with
his family and best friend/Tenacious D
bandmate Kyle Gass over pretentious parties. Here’s he touches on topics from his
love of naked Schwarzenegger and Bobby McFerrin to
the attraction of animation.
For a guy who rose to fame
with a cable TV comedy
band, you’ve become a
huge movie star. What
kind of movies did you
enjoy growing up?
When I was a kid I
really liked the sci-fi/action genre. I really liked
RoboCop, and the original
Terminator with the naked
Schwarzenegger. The Road
Warrior was another one of
my favorites.
Did you make your own movies as a kid?
I never really made my own movies. I
did little plays and performances, but never on film. That was never my medium. I
had a tape recorder and I did radio plays.
But making Be Kind Rewind did remind
me of childhood.
What did you do with the million bucks
you made for your first big movie role?
I actually bought a house and it turned
out to be a big piece of crap. I was like,
“I’m going to fix it– I’m gonna polish this
turd!” Then a year later I’m like, “This
thing sucks! Get rid of it!” So I sold it and
I lost like $150,000 on it because I’m a big
retardo.
Be Kind Rewind was very different from
your last movie, Margot at the Wedding.
Do you like mixing it up a bit and moving from comedy to drama?
Yeah, that’s why I like making movies as
opposed to doing a play. It’s fun to change
gears!
Tenacious D has obviously influenced a
lot of young comedy bands, like Flight
of the Conchords. Who were your major
musical influences when you were growing up?
I’d go through different psycho fan
periods. I was a big Urge Overkill fan, and
I went through my Soul Asylum period.
Now I’m like, what was I thinking?! I was a
huge Bobby McFerrin fan in high school–
I don’t know what that was about. I was
Monk song! But I did do some studying
because my wife’s father [legendary bassist Charlie Haden] is a jazz musician and I
wanted to impress him, so I went out and
bought that documentary about jazz by
Ken Burns. I learned something interesting– blues and ragtime created jazz when
they had sex in New Orleans, and jazz was
the baby.
What’s going on with Tenacious D at the
moment?
We’ve been writing some songs, but
they’re all really lame right now except
for one powerful jam called “Death Star.”
We need to surround it with another 13
equally powerful songs, so in about 2012
you might see another album from us.
How do you and your partner Kyle Gass
work when you’re writing songs together?
Kyle is always a bubbling cauldron of
How do you deal with
getting recognized in the
street now?
I go, “What?! I don’t
know who you’re talking
about. Who?! Oh yeah,
people always think I’m
that guy. No, that’s not
me.” Or sometimes I just
go, “Yeah, that’s me.”
It depends on how I’m
feeling. One time I went
to this place and this
really drunk guy started
touching my hair, then
he started mushing my
face with his hands. I
was VERY perturbed. He
wasn’t blind or anything;
I think he just liked me.
How do you balance Tenacious D, movies, marriage and being a dad?
I’m very, very busy. But the way I do it is
I look ahead on the future calendar and I
can see that, at some point, I have nothing
on the schedule. No matter how hard it
is, no matter how little sleep I’m getting, I
know that there is sleep at the end of that
rainbow.
I heard your wife is expecting again?
Yes, she’s expecting!
You must be the perfect father, because
you already do the kinds of crazy things
most kids want to do.
Yeah, I’m already breaking all the rules!
But he [his son Samuel] isn’t even two
years old yet, so it’s not time for breaking the rules. I tell him when he can’t do
stuff, though. You really have to explain
things. You have to say, “I know you really
want to go in this drawer
and play with the shaving cream, but you can’t
because it’ll make a big
mess.” But he still cries.
THE MOST ROCK ‘N’ ROLL THING ABOUT
ME IS DEFINITELY THE HOURS I KEEP.
I’M NATURALLY A STAY UP ALL NIGHT,
SLEEP IN ALL DAY KIND OF VAMPIRE
DUDE. THE LEAST ROCK ‘N’ ROLL THING
IS HOW WHIPPED I AM BY MY LADY.
I PRETTY MUCH DO EVERYTHING SHE
TELLS ME TO DO.
into heavy metal, but not to the same
degree I am now.
What are the most and least rock ‘n’ roll
things about you?
The most rock ‘n’ roll thing about me is
definitely the hours I keep. I’m naturally
a stay up all night, sleep in all day kind of
vampire dude. The least rock ‘n’ roll thing
is how whipped I am by my lady. I pretty
much do everything she tells me to do.
I notice you’re wearing a Thelonius Monk
shirt. Are you a big jazz fan?
I’m wearing a Thelonious Monk shirt,
which means I know one Thelonious
tunes. He’s always playing and working on
little melodies and riffs, so then I need to
have something that I think is funny, like a
concept that I want to riff on or a type of
song that I want to make that we’ve never
made before. Then we can just start jammin’, and we’re always recording.
You guys have a fairly rabid following.
What’s the weirdest fan encounter you’ve
had so far?
Probably the weirdest encounter is just
people Kyle talks to in the Internet chat
rooms coming out to our shows and taking us back to their shadowy lairs for all
sorts of debauchery.
I bet he’ll get a big kick
out of your next film,
Kung Fu Panda. Why are
animated films so much
fun for you?
They almost don’t count
when you’re doing it,
because it’s so easy. You
don’t have to get up early,
you don’t have to get in
makeup, and they can get
your voice anywhere in
the world. It’s a sweet gig, if you can get
it. You go in like once a month for a few
hours… once a month for eight years. At
the end there’s a great cartoon, and you’re
the star of it. It’s the best job! The only
thing is that I’ll have to promote it like
crazy.
What can you tell us about the character
you play?
Well, it’s a kung fu panda bear from
China, and it’s set in an alternate universe
where animals talk. It’s an escape from the
real world. Why spend so much time trying to recreate what the real world is like?
East Atlanta Village www.badearl.com
Wed - June 11 Mudhoney
8pm
Tues & Thurs: Trivia 8pm
Wednesdays: Texas Hold ‘em
Thr - June 12
LIVE MUSIC TUES–SUN
Fri - June 13
Every Wednesday
THE MIKE VEAL BAND
Every Sunday
THE FRANSISCO VIDAL BAND
Sat - June 14
Thursday, June 12
CONNOR CHRISTIAN’S BAND
Friday, June 13
SWAMI GONE BANANAS
Saturday, June 14
BRIAN WILTSEY & FRIENDS
Thursday, June 19
STEROTYPE
Friday, June 20
TYLER REEVE BAND
Saturday, June 21
1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY
BRIAN WILTSEY BAND
Friday, June 27
BRIAN WILTSEY & FRIENDS
Saturday, June 28
DODGER FEST MUSIC: TBA
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9:30pm
9:30pm
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Tue - June 17
9pm
Unwed Sailor
Sybris ▪ O’Brother
OK Productions presents
Shearwater
Silver Lakes ▪ Jeffrey Butzer
Firewater
Bear in Heaven
Chunklet Magazine presents
Harvey Milk
Pride Parade ▪ Birthday Suits
Grand Archives
Thr - June 19
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
Sat - June 21
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9pm
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Mon - June 23
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Modey Lemon
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OK Productions presents:
Times New Viking
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Alan Bishop and Richard Bishop presents
The Brothers Unconnected
(A tribute to the music of Sun City Girls
and Charles Gocher)
Sat - June 28
Cas Haley
Mon - June 30
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9pm
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8pm
& special guests
Chunklet Magazine presents
Boris
Torche ▪ Clouds
The Black Angels
The Warlocks ▪ Imaad Wasif
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Burning Brides
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Recompas ▪ DJs Vicki V & Suzy Q (Fringe Factory)
Liven Up Any
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�� The Breaks
�� The Almost, Emery
�� Slippery When Wet
�� Lord T & Eloise
�� De Nova Dahl
�� Brian Wiltsey & Friends
�� Over the Rhine
�� Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun
Jah Roots
Tix available at Criminal Records,
Decatur CD,The EARL & badearl.com
CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION
CALENDER
Birds of Avalon ▪ Anna Kramer
& the Lost Cause
Wed - June 18
9pm
CONCERT
��
�� Unzipt
�� Kenni Myles & Guests
�� Hipxotica 404
�� Flux Capicitor
�� Dead Confederate
�� Open Mic Shootout
�� Jumpin’ Jukes
�� Feeding Fingers
�� The Bastard Suns
�� Emarosa
�� Poptart Monkeys
�� Xtra Medium Friends
�� The Dreadful Yawns
�� Brian & Gareth
�� Jeremy Enigk
�� The Standby Records
Jimmy Buffett @��(6-5)
��
�� Open Mic
�� The Hired Gun Band
�� Emmure
�� Gravel Undertone
��
�� Hipnotic Unplugged
�� Jay Clifford
�� JT Speed
�� EP3
�� Stereotype
��
�� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam
�� Mac McAnally
�� The Long Shadows
�� Jeff & Vida, The Gougers
�� Chicago Joe Jones
�� Hoedown of Darkness
�� DJ Tubby Style
�� The Kin
�� Twin Tigers
�� Mike Veal Band
��
�� The Regulars
�� Brandon Perry
�� The Barberries
�� Don Chambers
�� Chickenshack
�� Joe McGuinness
�� Jimmy Buffett
�� Sparkys Flaw
�� Delicious
�� Attractive 80s Women
�� Icecaps
�� Mr. Fernando
�� Railroad Earth
�� Eric Huthcinson
��
�� Might McFly
�� Orquesta MaCuba
�� 4 out of 5 Dentists
�� Dixie Bee Liners
�� Work in Progress
�� Ligion
�� The Ying Yang Twins
�� Captain Soularcat
�� The Right Rev. Andy’s
�� Brain P. & Friends
�� Ledisi
�� The Jungle & Sun Domingo
��
�� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam
�� Mudhoney
�� Sonia Leigh
�� Hayden
�� Dilated Peoples
�� Tim McGraw
�� Alien Sex Fiend
�� Dumpstaphunk
�� Guilty Hearts
�� Vampire Weekend
�� Steely Dan
��
�� 80s for the Ladies
�� Time 2 Shine Showcase
�� Haz Mat
�� Unwed Sailor, Sybris
�� Arlington Priest
�� Chickenshack
�� Jazzmatic
�� Murphys Law
�� Rise Phoenix
�� Tab Benoit
�� Freakout!!!
�� Connor Christian’s Band
�� Zappa Plays Zappa
�� Colour Revolt
Shinedown @��(6-17)
��
�� The White Leppard Crue
�� Killer Mic, Yelawolf
�� Shearwater
�� Carolyn Wonderland
�� Fat Back Deluxe
�� Enter the Haggis
�� The Breeders
�� The Breakfast Club
�� Maria Taylor
�� Gasoline Heart
�� Rachelle Ferrell
�� Swami Gone Bananas
�� Ladytron
�� Crazy Anglos
��
�� Girlz Girlz Girlz
�� Fusion
�� Chris Botti
�� Brian Wiltsey Band
�� Moe
�� Rick Brantley
BEETHOVEN’S BEST
��
Robert Spano, conductor
DejanScalded
Lazic, piano
��
Dog
�� Open Mic
July
4 ~ 6:00pm
��
Patrick
Vining
�� Ralph Roddenbery
�� Dreaming of High-Fives
ALL-AMERICAN
CELEBRATION
��
July Hipnotic
9 ~ 8:00pm
��
SAM BUSH
JIMMY GAUDREAU &
MOONDI KLEIN
PUCCINI’S
LA BOHEME
TURNER CLASSIC
MOVIES
BOSTON/STYX
JULIE ANDREWS
��
��
Milk & THE
TOMHarvey
PETTY
“THE GIFT OF��
MUSIC”
Winter
Ransom
August
27 ~ 8:00pm
�� Jeff Holmes
HEARTBREAKERS
�� Kush
Ian Fraser, conductor
��
JT Speed
ROD
STEWART
��
Missy Gossip & the Secret Keepers
Steve Winwood
host
��
The Spill Canvas Julie Andrews,
�� Janet McLaughlin
�� Royal Family
��
Chickenshack
For the latest show updates, please visit
vzwamp.com
SALE
��
ONShinedown
�� Luchini
OW!
�� TyNReynolds
Tickets available at all ��
outlets
Az Izz
Charge by phone: 404.249.6400��Online:
ticketmaster.com
��
BMI
Showcase
�� Tickets also available at the box office Monday - Friday, noon - 6pm and Saturdays,
10am - 2pm.
��
Gareth & Friends
The venue isMidtown
conveniently located
and schedules subject to change without notice.
�� Al Smith’s
Jamoff GA-400 in Alpharetta. All artists
�� Daniel Johnston
�� Frankie Valli
�� Grand Archives
�� Band of Heathens
�� Soul in Little 5
�� Kingrat
�� The Standard 8
�� Jakob Dylan & the Gold Mountain Rebels
��
�� Oneeders
�� SpaceOut Project
�� John Mooney
�� Thao the Get Down Stay Down
�� Maureen Murphy
�� Chickenshack
�� The Flow
�� The Fighting Foo
�� Meghan Coffee
�� Big Trouble in Little 5
�� Stereotype
��
�� Gary Pfaff
�� The Friday Flow
�� Lizz Wright
�� Melissa Etheridge
�� Comic Gypsies
�� Gentleman Jesses & His Men
�� Bobby Yang
�� Tomi Isobe
�� Deep Blue Sun
�� The Modern Skirts
�� Trotline
�� Florez
�� Ponderosa
�� Raheem Devaughn, Chrisette Michele
�� Tyler Reeve Band
�� Jeffery Steele
��
�� Slippery When Wet
�� 4th Annual Poetry Fest
�� George Benson w/ ASO
�� Moby Dick
�� Modey Lemon
�� Alice Peacock
�� The Two Timers
�� Ralph Roddenbery Band
�� REM, Modest Mouse
�� Radio Cult
�� Justin Townes Earle
�� Howlies
EMMYLOU HARRIS
Friday, June 27
with ASO
MEGHAN COFFEE
Saturday, June 28
BOZ SCAGGS
Saturday, July 19
Wednesday, August 13
G. LOVE &
SPECIAL SAUCE
THE JON BUTLER TRIO
Friday, August 22
Friday, July 25
Reserved Seating. No Tables, No Coolers or Carry Ins.
JILL SCOTT
SISTER HAZEL
with ASO
Saturday, August 23
HOOTIE &
THE BLOWFISH
ERYKAH BADU
Wednesday, August 27
DREW DAVIS BAND
Friday, August 1
REGENERATION
TOUR
CROSBY, STILLS
& NASH
with ASO
Saturday, August 2
SOUL ASYLUM/
GIN BLOSSOMS
THE KICKIN’
PICKIN’
BLUEGRASS
PARTY
Wednesday, July 9
TRACE ADKINS
featuring MARTY STUART,
DEL McCOURY BAND,
DOYLE LAWSON
Friday, July 11
Wednesday, August 6
RONNIE MILSAP
with ASO
Wednesday, July 30
Wednesday, July 2
AUGUST
THE BEACH BOYS
BOYZ II MEN/
MORRIS DAY &
THE TIME
Wednesday, June 25
EDWIN McCAIN
BAND
Saturday, August 9
RHETT AKINS
BRANTLEY GILBERT
KENNY G
FOREIGNER
BRYAN ADAMS
An Evening with
GIPSY KINGS
featuring THE HUMAN LEAGUE,
BELINDA CARLISLE, ABC,
A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS,
NAKED EYES
Friday, August 29
INDIGO GIRLS
Saturday, September 13
CALL 404.733.4800
Groups of 15 or more
CALL 404.733.4848
��404.249.6400��ticketmaster.com
Tickets available through all
Tickets also available at the Woodruff Arts Center box office, 404.733.5000. Concerts take place rain or shine. Artists and schedules are subject to change. All sales final. No exchanges or refunds.
Delta Classic Chastain Concerts at Chastain Park Amphitheater brought to you by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Promoter.
��
�� The Breakfast Club
�� Mausiki Scales & Common Ground
�� Emmylou Harris
�� Hipnotic
�� The Brothers Unconnected
�� Evan McHugh
�� South City Blues Band
�� Phoenix for Saints
�� Wrong Way
�� Kinchafoonee Cowboys
�� The Sundogs
�� Fervor
JUNE
��
Cat Power
June 28 ~ 8:00pm
�� Fran & Co.
COREY SMITH
Saturday, June 21
YES
July 20 ~ 8:00pm
��
Garrick
Ohlsson,
�� Al Smith’s
Midtown
Jam piano
�� Jonny Lang
�� Kenny G August 16 ~ 8:00pm
�� Scott Miller
July 26 ~ 8:00pm
�� London After Midnight
��with
DJ Tubby
Style Osborne
host Robert
�� Matt Wertz Richard Kaufman, conductor
Robert Spano,��
conductor
Ski Club
�� Lifehouse
August 17 ~ 8:00pm
August 2 ~��
8:00pm Mike Veal Band
Friday, August 8
Friday, July 18
with ASO
A Tribute to the Music of
Nat King Cole
EARL KLUGH
JULY
The Sam Yahel Organ Trio
�� Reggae Sundays
IDINA MENZEL
GEORGE BENSON
AN EVENING OF
ROMANCE
STEELY DAN
Wednesday, July 16
MELISSA
ETHERIDGE
Friday, June 20
July 12 ~ 8:00pm
�� August 4 ~ 8:00pm
�� Brandon Perry
Jakob Dylan @��(6-18)
�� Gay Pride Comedy Night
Keller Williams
�� JT Speed
��
August 8 ~ 8:00pm
The Toadies
Robert Spano,��
conductor
June 11 ~ 8:00pm
��
The Cure
��
Robert McDuffi
e, violinIggy Walker’s Diaper Fund
�� Grace Braun
�� Amazing Mongooses
�� Blues Envy
ALL
TCHAIKOVSKY
JULY
Wednesday, June 18
June 10 ~ 8:00pm
STEVIE NICKS
MICHAEL
MCDONALD/
AL GREEN
FRANKIE VALLI &
THE FOUR SEASONS
��
�� Grand Prize Winner
�� Times New Viking
�� Open Mic
SATURDAY
�� Kate Kwik
AUGUST
�� Sean Bright & The
Evicted 23
��
Summer Hostage
RUSH.COM
stonetemplepilots.com
Saturday, July 12
HIPPIEFEST
featuring JACK BRUCE
of Cream, ERIC BURDON
& THE ANIMALS,
THE TURTLES featuring
Flo & Eddie, MELANIE,
BADFINGER featuring
Joey Molland,
JONATHAN EDWARDS
T
��
LIVE CD
IN STORES NOW
June 10 ~ 8:00pm
REM @��(6-21)
��
�� When Sid Slid
�� Edwin McCain Band w/ ASO
�� Asphalt Grunge
�� Cas Haley, Jah Roots
�� Cruis-o-Matic
�� Little Joey’s Big Band
�� Nojaboinga w/ Newberry Jam
�� Reckless
�� The Swing Richards
�� Homeroom
�� Ryan Cabrera
�� Beethoven’s Best
�� Groundation
��
�� Max Forstater
�� Blues Envy
�� Flat Cat
�� Fran & Co.
��
�� Silver Apples
�� Open Mic
�� Joe McGuinness
�� Hammerdown, Elli Perry
SATURDAY
AUGUST 23
JULY 22
��
STEVIE NICKS
Keller Williams
June 11 ~ 8:00pm
STEELY DAN
The Sam Yahel Organ Trio
June 28 ~ 8:00pm
BEETHOVEN’S BEST
Dejan Lazic, piano
July 4 ~ 6:00pm
ALL-AMERICAN
CELEBRATION
RUSH.COM
August 4 ~ 8:00pm
ALL
TCHAIKOVSKY
YES
July 20 ~ 8:00pm
FOREIGNER
BRYAN ADAMS
PUCCINI’S
LA BOHEME
August 16 ~ 8:00pm
with host Robert Osborne
Richard Kaufman, conductor
August 2 ~ 8:00pm
August 17 ~ 8:00pm
Julie Andrews, host
E
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
JULIE ANDREWS TOM PETTY & THE “THE GIFT OF MUSIC”
HEARTBREAKERS
Ian Fraser, conductor
ON SALE
NOW!
August 8 ~ 8:00pm
AN EVENING OF
ROMANCE
TURNER CLASSIC
MOVIES
July 26 ~ 8:00pm
July 9 ~ 8:00pm
Steve Winwood
stonetemplepilots.com
July 12 ~ 8:00pm
Robert McDuffie, violin
R
JULY
LIVE CD
IN STORES NOW
PAULA COLE
THE TEMPTATIONS/
THE FOUR TOPS
SEPT.
��
featuring
Saturday, June 14
JULY 22
��
An Evening with
CHRIS BOTTI
AUGUST
��
�� Mary Miller
�� Billy Joe Shaver
�� Blues Envy
�� Adam Lee & the Dead Horse Sound Co.
�� Rancid
�� Bellrosa
�� Fran & Co.
�� Rooney
SINGLE
TICKETS
ON SALE
NOW!
JUNE
�� Walkin’ Sidewayz
�� Firewater
�� Ten Story Relapse
�� Bonobos Convergence
�� Sweetwater Junction
�� Starfish & Coffee
�� King of Prussia
�� Israel Vibrations
�� Sons of William
BOSTON/STYX
August 27 ~ 8:00pm
R
ROD STEWART
For the latest show updates, please visit vzwamp.com
Tickets available at all
outlets
Charge by phone: 404.249.6400��Online: ticketmaster.com
Tickets also available at the box office Monday - Friday, noon - 6pm and Saturdays, 10am - 2pm.
The venue is conveniently located off GA-400 in Alpharetta. All artists and schedules subject to change without notice.
Ticke
Tickets a
Delta
Road
Warriors
This Month’s Hottest Shows
BY JOHN DAVIDSON
JIMMY BUFFETT
Lakewood Amphitheatre
He’s the
prince of
populist, the
everyman
singersongwriter
who conquered
the the pop
music world
three decades
ago with a
half-dozen great songs and a laid-back party
vibe. The Buffet brand has expanded vertically
to include restaurants, booze, and all the
trinkets of modern-day stardom, working
over the same couple hundred thousand or so
fans every year in a fit of nostalgic shed tours.
Hate him for his fame but the guy is doing
something right.
6/05 SWERVEDRIVER
The Masquerade
The shoegazer scene in the United Kingdom
during the 1990s—so named for the way
that guitar players stared endlessly at their
effects pedals to coax feedback-laden walls
of sound—never grabbed hold outside of
domestic college radio, but it’s influence
continues to inform art rock in modern times.
Swervedriver, following the lead of My Bloody
Valentine’s upcoming reunion, is out playing
small clubs and promising to blow the doors
out with squalors of sound. Catch this earbleeding time warp before the scene dies a
soggy death at the end of the summer.
06/07 DAMIEN JURADO
Variety Playhouse
Damien Jurardo’s claim to fame—well, there
hasn’t been all that much fame just yet—is
his low key, low-fi folksinging. Armed with
not much more than a guitar and some spare
chords, he has a ghostly magnetism that belies
his not-so-spectacular vocal skills. His charm
as a solo artist—lingering honesty and poetic
bravado on a stage of bleak vulnerability—is
sometimes so subtle that a big room can
overcome his aesthetic. It’s a quiet night out,
that’s for sure.
6/78 “VIRGINIAHIGHLANDS
SUMMERFEST”
Virginia Avenue
It’s one of the great local festivals, assuming
you like hanging in Va-Hi with other people
who like hanging in Va-Hi. The lineup (folk
rockers Michelle Malone and Sonia Leigh,
aging local rockers Sister Hazel) fits the
crowd and the food and beer will be good. If
you haven’t been out to one of Atlanta’s best
neighborhoods lately, this is a great weekend
to do it. Get there early to secure good
parking.
6/11 TIM MCGRAW
One of country music’s biggest stars purrs
through town on a tour of outdoor shows,
and capacity crowds will be there to welcome
him. Tim McGraw was already huge when
he married Faith Hill a dozen years ago, and
it proved to take his career to even higher
heights. An established performer with dozens
of killer sides under his belt, McGraw is
legend long before his 50th birthday.
6/11 MUDHONEY
The EARL
A relic from the grunge days of Seattle
circa 1990, Mudhoney never found the fame
of Pearl Jam or Nirvana or even any of the
b-listers that sprung from that scene. Instead,
they’ve toiled away in clubs for two decades
with very little to show for it. Back in town for
what is a reliably ferocious show at the EARL,
Mudhoney is out to prove that they are still a
relevant act in an age when few are.
06/11 VAMPIRE WEEKEND
Variety Playhouse
Vampire
Weekend, more
than any other
band of the
last five years,
will go down as
one of the last
Internet bands
that mattered.
They surfaced
under an avalanche of New York-centric blog
buzz, and when SPIN magazine raced to put
Vampire Weekend on the cover before they’d
ever released an album, a pre-formed star was
born. The conventional wisdom is that this
act spent way too much time with the Afropop sensibilities of Paul Simon’s landmark
Graceland album, and that wisdom is well
born out.
06/15 CAT POWER
The Tabernacle
Hard to believe that Cat Power survived
her first decade as one of the underground’s
most inconsistent live acts. Her stage show
was often a debacle, one where she exercised
personal demons and had more diva moments
than is typically allowed in indie rock. She’s
cleaned up her act in the past few years and
with her excellent sidemen at her back, she’s
actually become a formidable performer.
WE GOT NEXT
THE
TOSSERS
6/1617 “TRUE COLORS”
Chastain Park Amphitheatre
The lineup
is as gaycentric (Rosie
O’Donnell,
Tegan and
Sara, The
B-52s, Cyndi
Lauper, The
Cliks) as they
come so keep
that in mind if
your homophobic sensibilities make you averse
towards hanging out with an eclectic crowd. The
“True Colors” tour is long on nostalgia and short
on new talent, but in the end it’s probably good
that our culture has come far enough for this
event to even happen at all.
6/18 JAKOB DYLAN
Variety Playhouse
Poor Jakob Dylan. He’s better looking than
his father and his old band, The Wallflowers,
hasn’t mattered in a decade or so. His new
solo album Seeing Things isn’t all that bad,
and it’s kind of nice that he hasn’t given up
on his musical career entirely, especially
given that he’s had more success than 99%
of everyone else out there. Still, isn’t it kind
of sad that a guy who saw success like that
couldn’t make it last more than just a few
years? Apparently in today’s market, even the
best pedigrees don’t guarantee careers.
06/21 R.E.M.
R.E.M. once said they’d never play stadiums
and they have. They said that if one of the
members ever quit, they’d all quit. They didn’t
do that, either. The sad story of R.E.M.’s last
dozen years continues to astound, the way
they’ve tried to push things forward and failed
spectacularly. With this year’s Accelerate,
R.E.M. has finally released an R.E.M. album
again and sadly, it seems ten years too late.
The National and Modest Mouse open up for
what might be a good show.
Artists on the verge
of making it big
Latest Project:
Live on St. Patrick’s Day (Victory)
Why You Should Care: Because, years before Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys decided to mix traditional
Celtic instruments with punk rock, Chicago’s The Tossers were perfecting the genre.
For Fans of:
BY JOHN B. MOORE
L
ONG BEFORE FLOGGING MOLLY
or the Dropkick Murphys decided to
blend charging guitars with tin whistles
and bagpipes, the Chicago-based band The
Tossers had the bright idea to marry the genres.
If their just –released live record “Gloatin’ and
The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys, Black 47 and Flogging Molly
Showboatin’ is any indication, the hard-drinking
band is still carrying the torch for Celtic Punks
everywhere. Guitarist Mike Pawula spoke with
us recently about the new record, life on the
road and what it means to be a trailblazer for the
genre.
Congratulations on your new live CD and DVD.
What made you decide to put out a live CD now?
Victory Records had filmed
the show and we’re between
records right now so they suggested that we get the stuff out
there and we were all for it.
We’re real happy with the way
it came out, from the layout to
the DVD to the CD.
You just got back from
Europe. Does touring ever
get old?
Sure, sometimes, when
you’re playing the same cities
and the same places in those
cities, but you have to try to
make it interesting. Whether
it’s getting out into the cities
that you visit or making your
days off adventures or mixing
up the set. Of course, it was
our first time to Europe so it
never got old.
You were one of the first bands to mix punk and
traditional Irish instruments. What brought
about that idea? Did you get a lot of strange
reactions when you mentioned the type of band
you were starting?
I’m not an original member, but I was around
for the early years, so I’ll give you my take. I think
that The Pogues had an influence. It really came
from the idea of being able to play a song fast
and loud and then being able to play a ballad. The
range made it attractive. As for people’s reactions, they still react like we’re fools.
How were you able to find so many musicians
that could play both traditional music and
punk?
Luckily the core of the band (Dan Shaw, Bones
and T. Duggins) has been the same throughout,
so anyone who joined melded to that core. When
it comes down to it, I don’t think that anyone in
the band thinks in terms of “I’m playing this more
punk and this more traditional.” Really, we just
play what we think is good for the song.
Were you surprised at how the fans reacted to
your sound?
A little. I didn’t think that we would ever get
to do a lot of the things that we’ve been lucky
enough to do.
Are you surprised that so many bands, like the
Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly, have
picked up on the genre that you helped start?
It’s totally surprising to see how many bands are
playing something related to Irish and punk nowadays. It’s pretty cool. I don’t think anyone could
have predicted how well it has been received.
You had a chance to open for The Pogues last
year in New York. What was it like?
It was great. How many bands can say that they
opened for one of their influences? It was a great
night. The largest indoor crowd we have played
for, and it was St. Patty’s Day and the Pogues in
New York. Great.
Have you started working on a record of new
material yet?
The songs are there, but we haven’t started
much work. We’ll probably get demos done soon
and go into the studio in the next two months.
We’re looking forward to it.
Any upcoming tour plans?
Right now, no. We’ve toured pretty solid for a
year and now we’re going to do some one-offs
and work on the record and get to know our dogs
again.
Anything else you wanted to add?
We’re really looking forward to the next record.
We’ll probably run updates on our website (www.
thetossers.com) and all that jazz, so stay tuned.
MUSIC
��
By B. Love, DeMarco Williams, John Davidson, John B. Moore, Matt Goldberg & Jon Latham
EARLIMART – HYMN AND HER (Shout Factory)
The Shins meet Elliott Smith
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STORYTELLER (Worldsoul Music)
The soundtracks to summertime romance
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The hipster’s hippies
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HEAD (ATCO)
If Tom Waits were dead, he’d be rolling in his grave
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NERF HERDER – IV (Oglio)
Nerd rockers embrace their inner geeks
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The Texas Two-Step: hot lines and hotter beats
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MUSIC INTERVIEW
WHEN JOHNNY COMES
MARCHING HOME
Former Rocket From The Crypt Frontman John
Reis On His New Band, The Night Marchers
BY JOHN B. MOORE
J
OHN REIS HAS A KNACK FOR STARTING
and abruptly stopping some of the best bands
around, including Rocket from the Crypt and
Hot Snakes, just to name a couple. So prepare to get
your hopes up and your hearts broken yet again with
news that Reis has formed yet another brilliant new
band, The Night Marchers. Reis sat down with us
recently to talk about the new band (with the sort
of colorful description only he could come up
with) and the just-released Rocket From The
Crypt live CD, and to remind us that
he’s “still the best.” As if there was
ever any doubt…
When did you start
putting together this new
group?
About nine months ago I
started putting ideas on tape
and inquired as to everyone’s availability. We cut the ribbon by spray
painting our band name on the side of
my old high school. We then broke the
champagne bottle on our bow by making
our first sticker at Kinko’s (pressing
of 85). From there, our prolific
nature continued to flourish with
several designs for an aborted t-shirt
project and then finally getting accepted to MySpace.
comes out? Touring?
Yeah, we got shows, practices and more recording
scheduled. All that sorta band stuff.
You also have a final Rocket From The Crypt CD/
DVD coming out. When/where were those songs
recorded?
It’s out now and it’s called RFTC RIP. It’s a document
of our final show which happened Halloween 2005 in
San Diego.
Is Swami Records coming out with anything
new in 2008?
I have some things planned,
but I have often opened
my mouth prematurely on
the matter only to let down
nearly dozens of people. I’ve been
working on another installment
of All Systems Go which is the
ongoing collection of RFTC rarities
and vinyl only recordings that are no
longer available. This one will be Volume
3 and will most likely be a two CD package
and the final release in the series. We recorded
and filmed a couple of Hot Snakes
shows on our final run of shows. I
remember the audio sounding great,
but there is so much footage to go
through that it’s gonna take a while to
get to that one. Dan Sartain, Beehive
and the Barracudas, The Spits all
have amazing recordings almost
ready to go. We’ll see what happens.
I’M STILL THE
BEST. THANKS
FOR GIVING ME
THE PLATFORM
TO REMIND YOU.
You’ve got some of your old band
mates in Night Marchers, right?
Yeah, J. Sinclair and Dner and
myself have seen each other naked
as well as played in Hot Snakes. Thomas Skitsos is the
wild card and the wild man from the French outback of
Montreal. He has been in the concert business for years
as a bass tech for Crash Test Dummies and monitor
man for Men Without Hats, so he really knows his stuff.
For fans who know you from RFTC and Hot Snakes,
what does the Night Marchers sound like?
We sound like everything else on MySpace. Our
sound could be described as GG Allin and Hall and
Oates riding down a water slide at a boogie woogiethemed water park, but instead of water it’s Sha Na
Na’s pee pee mixed with the blood of Christ. It’s kinda
typical adult thrash, but without the Benihana beat. It’s
definitely different than my previous bands, to some
degree– more traditional than either RFTC or Hot
Snakes, but with the inescapable sameness inherent in
the some of its particles.
When The Crypt and Hot Snakes ended, did you consider taking time off or leaving music for good?
No. That never crossed my mind.
The record was delayed a bit. Was there a problem
with recording?
No, the capturing of data went without a hitch. Trying
to fit such massive jams on one CD proved to be a bit
of a problem. Eventually we changed pressing plants. It
only ended up pushing things back a month or so.
What are the plans for the band after the record
As a musician and label owner, do
you get a lot of demos handed to you at shows? Do
you listen to all of them?
I do get quite a bit of unsolicited material from bands
that have no idea of the kind of music Swami releases. I
think it’s the product of being on some listing of labels
in some “how to make it in the music industry” book or
pamphlet. I do get cool stuff time to time from people
who are genuinely into the Swami universe of noise and
that always gets my attention and I am happy to check
it out it. I appreciate the opportunity to stay connected
to the music of the street. So yeah, I listen to all of those.
I don’t really put out that much stuff and everything I
have done thus far has consisted of me reaching out to
the bands instead of vice versa. So historically, I’d say
it’s probably pretty useless to send in something to the
label in hopes of getting a lucrative recording contract.
This is especially true when you take into account that
my tastes are so extremely refined.
Do you still have the radio show?
Yeah, I’m still spinning records on 94.9 FM in San
Diego doing the Swami Sound System. It’s been a lot of
fun and a perfect foil to the notion of curbing my record
store spending. It’s way cool to hear from the people of
the street as to what sounds are offering them relief. So
in that regard, it’s also a way to get turned onto new/
old/new-to-me sounds.
Anything else you want to add?
I’m still the best. Thanks for giving me the platform to
remind you.
MUSIC INTERVIEW
Death Cab For Cutie On Their Eagerly
Awaited Follow Up To Plans
D
BY JOHN B. MOORE
ESPITE HAVING MORE THAN HALF
a dozen records under their belt at the time,
it seemed like Death Cab for Cutie still had
something to prove to the record-buying public after
signing to Atlantic Records. Their first major label
release, Plans, not only appeased longtime fans, but
brought in a slew of new ones.
The scrutiny gone, Death Cab is prepping their next
full length, Narrow Stairs, a slight departure from the
band’s customary sound. Though it certainly won’t
be classified as metal, the guitars are a little louder
and the sound a tad more confrontational. That
being said, it still sounds very much like a Death Cab
record.
Drummer Jason McGerr recently spoke with us
about the new record, being a drummer for hire and
the beauty of nerdy passions.
ence with this album as opposed to the last is that
we brought in another engineer; the guy who does
front-of-house with us when we play live. His name is
Will Markwell. We wanted Chris to be playing guitar
more than sitting behind the console this time, and
it allowed us to capture more of that full band live
sound. It was still very much produced by Walla, but
it was nice to have one more set of ears in the room
that we trust, but that could also be transparent
when necessary.
What can you tell me about the new record? It has
been described as more aggressive. How would you
describe it?
Adventurous, maybe. It’s sort of like we raised our
voices is an easy way to put it. I’ve described records
in the past as Tranatlanticism was an inhale and
Plans was an exhale. Before you take a big leap you
need to take a big breath, so this would qualify as that
leap or that jump. It’s very much a culmination of
the live band we have become. I don’t feel like it’s this
huge, adventurous, bloody crazy thing like everyone
seems to quote us as having said, but still it has more
teeth.
Have you started playing all of the songs live yet?
We’ve started playing about seven of them live right
now, just to get a feel for them and to see how people
are reacting even before hearing the record. Once
the album comes out we’ll be playing more. It’s got to
be the right time and place and it’s got to fit into the
set. It’s also difficult when you’ve got a catalogue of
six records now to choose from. What we need to do
is take a fan poll and have our fan community help
build our set list.
Having heard it, I think it still sounds very much
like a Death Cab record.
That’s the thing. All the time you read about bands
who say, “We really wanted to go off the rails with
this one to be totally different. We secluded ourselves
for 18 months …” Whenever
I read those stories and buy
the record, I want to say,
“Yeah buddy, it still sounds
like your band.” You can’t
ever stretch that far from
who you are as a band.
Ben (Gibbard) sounds like
Ben and the songs sound
like Death Cab songs and
the production sounds
like a Chris Walla record.
But it has, hopefully, bits
and pieces of everything
we have done in the past
as a band as well as some
new things. Some different
energy, and it is very much
coming from more of a live
performance perspective
rather than a very surgically
composed album.
So Chris produced this one
as well?
Chris did produce this
one. He is the producer.
He definitely has the whole
thing in mind-- the road
map of how it’s going to
come together. We all
chime in and we all selfproduce our own parts,
but he’s credited as the
producer. The only differ-
Do you have a favorite track on the record yet?
I like a lot of the songs for different reasons. I think
“Grapevine Fires” is one of the best songs Ben has
ever written, but I love the energy we captured on
“Long Division.” It’s one of the more fun songs to
play live.
Have you thought about putting out a full live
album?
We kind of have one-- the John Bird EP from
2007-- and we have the Drive Well, Sleep Carefully DVD, but hopefully… We’re geared up to be
recording all of our live shows and it could be that
something winds up being put together at a later
date. I don’t think anything will come our immediately because we’ve got to let the record sit for awhile.
Also the rest of the world is doing this for us when
you get on YouTube. You can compile your own little
live album.
You joined the band in 2003?
October of 2002, but the first shows we did were
in 2003.
Was it odd at all to join a band that had been
together for awhile or had you already known the
guys?
I had known the guys. I played in a band with
Nick (Harmer) for three years before Death Cab
had started and that band never really went on to do
anything, but we had time together. We had been
in some trenches and sweated it out in the practice
space and spent a lot of time together as a rhythm
section already. I had known Ben and Chris for years
just from being in Bellingham (WA) when all those
EVERYONE IN THE BAND HAS A VESTED INTEREST IN
EVERYTHING THAT IS CREATIVE, FROM THE ARTWORK TO THE
LYRICAL FONT IN THE ARTWORK AND EVERYTHING ELSE…
ALL OF MY BAND MATES JUST GET REALLY INTO THINGS LIKE
THIS. BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE THESE SUPER NERDY PASSIONS
FOR ALL THESE CREATIVE ENDEAVORS...
guys came there for school. We hung out and we
were contemporaries, going to each other’s shows.
In between drummers they had asked me before at
different times to play in the band. The timing was
just never right until just before Transatlanticism.
Nick and I wound up filling in for a bass player and
a drummer for this band, Juno, and one night after
practice we were talking and we said, “Why don’t we
just play together?” We had this musical crush on
each other for years and we admire what each other
does. I thought they were a really great band, so I
said, “We should just work together on the next record.” He went back and talked to the band and, long
story short, we got together and when we started to
play it was, “Oh, so this is what good chemistry feels
like.” The rest is history.
I know you’ve played drums for a number of different bands, like Tegan & Sara, in the past. Is there
anyone else you’ve been playing with lately?
This guy named Matt Nathanson. I did half a record
for him last year. There’s a deep catalogue of things,
but most of those are either out of print or hard
to find. Tegan & Sara was the biggest commercial
release I was a part of.
Do you enjoy the chance to be able to play songs
outside of your main band?
Definitely. Literally, you get to wear a different
suit to work. As a drummer in a band, I’m not out
there as a drummer for hire. I’m not a chameleon
who gets hired to do this stuff all the time. It’s more
that someone is really into the way that I play or the
sound that I get, so when they ask me to be involved
in their record they are genuinely excited just to hear
what I have to offer, which gives me a lot of liberties
to throw in a whole bunch of stuff out there that I
typically wouldn’t do. That’s really the fun part.
So will you be playing on
the next Slayer album?
(Laughs) I’d be all for it!
I’ve got some double bass
chops. That would be a
dream come true to be
some incognito drummer that plays on all these
different records that you
would never ever guess.
The video for “I Will
Posses Your Heart” seems
like a major undertaking,
filmed all over the globe.
Are videos important to
you as a band?
(Laughs) Everything is
important to us. Everyone
in the band has a vested
interest in everything
that is creative, from the
artwork to the lyrical font
in the artwork and everything else… All of my band
mates just get really into
things like this. Because
we all have these super
nerdy passions for all these
creative endeavors, we all
have a lot of friends that
share these same passions,
like Aaron (Stuart-Ahn,
who directed the video).
MUSIC INTERVIEW
Taylor Made
‘80S LEGENDS DURAN
DURAN RETURN
TO RECLAIM THEIR
SYNTH-POP CROWN
BY BILL STUPAY
F
rom Interpol and Bloc Party to She Wants
Revenge and The Faint, recent years have
seen a slew of new bands influenced by the
sounds of ‘80s post-punk and New Wave. Duran
Duran remains one of the few bands from the
dawn of MTV to maintain a relatively consistent
relevant presence over the past 25 years, and with
the exception of guitarist Andy Taylor all of the
original “Fab Five” are still present and accounted
for. With their new album, Red Carpet Massacre,
featuring collaborations with meda-producer
Timbaland and pop idol Justin Timberlake, the
Durannies are hitting the road for their biggest
world tour in years. Bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor (no relation) recently took time
out from their busy schedules to give reporters the
advance scoop on what they can expect from the
new live show.
Given your continued relevance and overall body
of work, can you tell us how the band determined
the current set list?
John Taylor: I doubt if anyone would believe
just how much time and thought we all put into
each performance,
which songs we are
going to play and in
what order. Perhaps
because it is the most
powerful way of
expressing ‘this is who
we are, right here,
right now’.’ Of course
having new material is
important to us, as it
freshens up everyone’s
sense of what we are.
New songs like ‘Nite
Runner’ and ‘Red
Carpet Massacre’ are
a lot of fun to play,
and they change the
way we think about
older material, like
‘Rio’ or ‘Wild Boys’. It’s
not even about ‘giving
people what they
want’--we couldn’t
imagine playing a
Duran Duran concert
without referencing
our most popular
songs. It would be
like an Andy Warhol Restrospective without a
‘Marilyn.’
Roger Taylor: This is an ongoing discussion
that usually is still going on minutes before we go
onstage. We have such a huge catalogue of work
to pull from and we do like to vary the set most
nights. We are also playing quite a few tracks from
the new album but of course don’t want to disappoint people by not playing the classics.
celebrity culture that is defining
us as a society. Can you give us
your take on the title?
RT: For me it’s just a nice bit
of word play. I’ve not seen these
words together before–it created a nice bit of juxtaposition and yes the song is generally about how
shallow celebrity culture has become and how the
red carpet scene is now often more important than
any artistic statement.
JT: We were appearing at an awards show in
Los Angeles last year and were required to walk
the red carpet. We had to wait for five or six
minutes as some willowy young thing was giving a
performance to the battery of photographers. No
one knew who she was, nor cared--she was simply
extremely pretty and had a lot of moxie. I wonder,
just once, if the patience of the paparazzi were to
crack, and as one they crushed the barriers and
tore her apart limb from limb, either out of frustrated lust or just sheer hatred, what that would
look like. I could imagine it happening. It’s modern
times class warfare.
How have fans reacted to the new material so far?
JT: The fans are always very supportive of our
new material. It’s what
keeps them interested.
We would not have the
dedicated worldwide
following we have if
we stopped recording new material and
simply dragged our
arses around playing
songs from the eighties. I think our fans are
proud that Justin and
Timbaland came to
our party.
RT: Great, they love
it despite initially
being concerned that
Timbaland was going
to homogenize the
Duran Duran sound.
THE FANS ARE ALWAYS
VERY SUPPORTIVE OF
OUR NEW MATERIAL.
IT’S WHAT KEEPS
THEM INTERESTED. WE
WOULD NOT HAVE THE
DEDICATED WORLDWIDE
FOLLOWING WE HAVE
IF WE STOPPED
RECORDING NEW
MATERIAL AND SIMPLY
DRAGGED OUR ARSES
AROUND PLAYING
SONGS FROM THE
EIGHTIES
The title Red Carpet Massacre brings to mind a
lot of things, including the increasingly bizarre
How does this tour
vary from previous
tours beyond the song
choices?
RT: [This one has ]
new songs, new lights
and an electro set
where we all come to
the front of the stage and play electronic instruments in homage to our electro roots.
JT: Starting out in New Zealand was nice, getting
to spend some time there. Then touring with the V
Festival in Australia, with Duran Duran sandwiched between Queens Of The Stone Age and
Smashing Pumpkins. Fantastic! We’re always trying
new things, expanding our repertoire. The electro
set is kinda new. We developed it for Broadway. It’s
a 20-minute dance mix of songs we don’t usually
play. We all play keyboards except Roger, who
stands and plays
electronic pads.
What is the production level of the live show?
Can you tell us what North American fans can
expect?
JT: For me, a Duran Duran show is about soul.
That may sound like BS to someone who doesn’t
know us well, but believe me, every show we do
is a testament to our love for each other, for the
audience, and for the music. It’s about long term
commitment and a desire to transcend everyone
else’s expectations. That’s the core of it. Beyond
that there is a lot of electricity, some high wire
juggling, the occasional pulled muscles, loud sound
and bright lights.
RT: Great new state of the art lighting design and
brand new stage set loosely based on the Blade
Runner movie.
As musicians who tour the world, what’s it like
living essentially without a time zone? Insanity?
Or--is the road home? Any survival tips for new
musicians?
RT: It is an insane lifestyle, away from home for
months, constantly moving through different time
zones but if you love what you do (as we do) it’s a
great life.
JT: It’s a lot easier than it was. E-mail, texting
and international cell phones that really work. It’s
amazing! I am actually beginning to believe it is
possible to do what we do and maintain a family
simultaneously. I know others that have done it,
but it has eluded me for years! It’s the one thing,
if you want to do what we do, that you have to be
okay with. Constant travel, hotel rooms, airports
and changing time zones. That’s why the show is so
important. It’s the reason we put up with all
this crap!
MUSIC INTERVIEW
WHAT HAPPENS IN LONDON…
…Can’t stay in London. Hip songstress
Estelle’s star potential simply won’t allow it.
BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS
M
.I.A. AND LADY SOVEREIGN WERE BOTH
christened the U.K.’s answer to Lauryn Hill when
they first came out. With the U.S.’s answer to
Lauryn Hill on a seemingly permanent hiatus, all of the comparisons seemed fine. Each lady somehow
captured L. Boogie’s spunk and funk without
sounding like junk. Even still, Estelle Swaray
might be ultimately best fitted for the honor.
And we’re not simply basing that off Shine,
her fun, well-rounded debut CD either.
As a matter of fact, the London native was
on an Atlanta stage recently, giving folks
way more than their $20’s worth. She was
charismatic. She was fun. She was hitting all
of her notes. She was Lauryn Hill, ya know,
if Lauryn still gave a damn about music.
Things were going so well that people
almost forget that John Legend, the Grammy
winner who signed Estelle to his Home
School Records label, was in the building,
too. Clearly, this was Estelle’s night. With
Shine still buzzed over, a BET Awards Best
New Artist nomination in hand and a European tour this month, this is shaping up to
be Estelle’s summer as well.
What sort of things do you find here that you don’t in England?
The pace of work. Things are on a speed level that I really
like. I don’t ever sleep. Being around people who are actually
working all the time makes things happen all the time. I think
it’s pretty good. People think I’m crazy.
Tell me about the London from your youth.
I grew up in West London. It was pretty cool. There weren’t
too many crazy things happening. Now it’s pretty nuts. When
I was growing up, it was not as crazy as we thought it was. It
was community-based and people cared about each other. All
like the same over here to a level. Everyone was in some kind
IF YOU LOOK AT MY WHOLE
CAREER, I’M ONE OF
THOSE PEOPLE WHO’VE
NEVER EVER RELIED ON
ONE SITUATION TO COME
TO ME. I’VE ALWAYS HAD
LIKE THREE OR FOUR. MY
LABEL AND I UNDERSTAND
THAT IT’S NOT ABOUT ONE
RECORD WITH ME.
of group activity, doing some kind of music or something. It
was a lot of fun.
Who were some of the English artists you enjoyed listening
to?
I listened to a lot of reggae artists and pop artists. Kylie
Monogue was a favorite. Queen was a favorite. Monie Love
was dope. She was like one of the only [female] rappers back
in the day. She was definitely dope.
Did Amy Winehouse’s spike in popularity affect your career in any way?
Amy does what Amy does. I don’t think it
hurt. I just think people opened up a lil’ bit
more. They wanted to hear things from me
and play off of that. I think that’s all that did.
I think people opened up a lil’ more. It helped
on that level. It’s cool. It works out. I’m not
mad at her at all. Amy’s one of my mates. It’
definitely helped though.
If you had to compare yourself to an American artist, who would it be?
I think I’m me. Every other artist does what
they do. I have influences ranging from Mary
[J. Blige] to Ella Fitzgerald, but I wouldn’t put
myself on their levels yet.
Speaking of big names, Shine has John Legend, Kanye West, Cee-Lo and a host of others
on it.
Looking at it now, I’m like Wooow. When I
was doing it, there was no chance for Wooow,
no time or space for any kind of Wooow. It
was like, “Get in there and make a hit ‘cuz this
could be the last day.” That’s the approach
[the big names] had to it as well, so pushed
me on that level. They came in the studio and
said, “This could be it.” Every time we worked
together was like Wooow. Looking at it now,
everybody is like, “You’ve got Cee-lo, Wyclef
Jean, Kanye, John.” Most of these guys are my
friends. It feels weird—without sounding bigheaded at all. It feels good, but it’s normal, you
know?
Even though it’s a good feeling, there still has
to be pressure for an album’s success.
Not at all. If you look at my whole career, I’m one of those
people who’ve never ever relied on one situation to come to
me. I’ve always had like three or four. My label and I understand that it’s not about one record with me. They’re like,
“You’re an artist. You’re going to grow. You’re one of the
artists that’s going to be around for a while.” They’re not
investing in me for the one record, the jump-off record to
end all records. Also, I think my fans know me. They know
I’m going to keep changing. They know I’m going to keep
doing good music. On a level, I’m not that bothered by it.
I don’t feel pressured by it. Everybody else goes, “Oh, if it
doesn’t [sell]…” I don’t even care about that stuff. I only
care about if the fans come to my show and they see my
show and get to know me on that level. My thing is never
to be involved in the industry part of it; it should be about
the fans. There are no record sales nowadays, you know?
All I care about is that the fans come see me at my shows.
You’re touring in Scotland and England in June. What’s
an Estelle show like for those who’ve yet to experience
one?
It’s going to be a lot of fun. We have fun. We bring
people on the stage. We have the crowd sing. They get
involved. We really have fun. We’re not one of these artists
that can come and sing at you. It’s crowd participation,
for real! We have jokes. I talk to the crowd members. I’m
bringing the whole band with me, too. It’s going to be a full,
live show. It’s going to be crazy.
What’s the reception been like from typical black Americans?
I’ve seen mixed emotions—not in a bad way either. Some
people have been like, “She doesn’t look like Beyonce and
them.” I don’t look like the typical, stereotypical [singer] that’s
to be popular. A lot of people have been like, “I love it! Avantgarde. Amazing. I can’t wait. I can’t wait. I hope she does
well.” My thing is, you don’t have to love it and you don’t have
to want it but you’re going to respect it just on that level because it’s different. And it’s fresh and it’s good. I’m not going
to try and do anything that isn’t me. I think people appreciate the fact that I’m just me. I feel good. I’m just trying to be
normal and go about my business. People run up to me on the
trains and I be like, “Oh, you know me?” I think the general
feeling is good—unless you know otherwise.
No, I don’t know otherwise. But it’s funny you should bring
up being “different.” You certainly don’t have the look that
most people associate with pop stars.
The direction I’m coming from is where black people period
don’t get nothing. See what I’m saying? This is nothing to me.
The light-skinned, long-haired comparisons? I don’t even care
about that talk. I know that I am beautiful. There are a lot
more black girls out there that look like me that are beautiful. It’s in everybody’s minds more than anything else. I think
that if you have a strong product, a great style of music and
people feel you, you’re going to do what you have to do. Other
stuff doesn’t really mean much. I’m coming from the perspective that it’s London. Black folk don’t get on. Period. You’ll
have one or two maybe. Hopefully. To be honest with you, the
light-skinned thing doesn’t even bother me. We’re black and
I’m beautiful. All of that doesn’t mean much to my feelings or
my sense of self either. I’m actually quite proud of it.
What other talents are you proud to have?
I’m pretty organized…Umm, I like to cook. It de-stresses
me. It really calms me down. I actually breathe a lot more
when I cook. It’s fun for me. I can do it with one hand on my
hip. Like my friends say, all I need is a baby on my hip and two
or three running around the house and I’ll be right at home. I
love to cook. But I think I’m very organized [too]. I’m always
like three or four steps ahead. My manager always says, “Our
job is to stay three or four steps ahead of you. If you’re doing
something that means we’re not doing our jobs.” That’s my
other skill: staying ahead of everybody else. That’s a
great skill.
FEATURE
Grant Central East
Sleek and modern, warm and inviting. Eastside
Lounge's decor and mood captures the attention
off all who relax by the dark red walls, giant paintings and eclectic video projections.
Since owner Aaron Lester took over what was
formerly the Fountainhead Lounge in March 2005,
it has undergone near constant renovation. What
catches your eye first is the large display of artwork. Featured artist Timothy Dolph evocative
paintings adorn the walls throughout the club.
Behind them lies a mural by renowned artist and E
Channel regular from “New York’s Best Designer”
Dosa Kim.
The Eastside Lounge offers an extensive selection
of wine, liquor and beers. Customers can order
anything from a shot of Jager to a vintage wine
served in a long stemmed glass. Their experienced
bar staff are notorious for mixed drinks and special
Martinis. They also offer many import and domestic beers as well as an excellent draft selection.
Eastside Lounge is a destination for dreamers,
artists, individualists and musicians who want to
get away from the overcrowded bar scene taking
over the rest of Atlanta. DJs and musicians play live
Monday thru Saturday. They boast an excellent
dance floor with a state of the art sound system
that is sychronized to their large screens. Retro
movies are aired nightly behind the bar. Friday is
80’s night and Saturday is Red Square retro. There
is plenty of free parking and a $5 cover on weekends.
Grant Central East is located in the heart of East
Atlanta Village on the corner of Glenwood and Flat
Shoals. It is the sister restaurant to Grant Central,
the 14 year old original restaurant residing in
Grant Park. The original was named after Grand
Central Station for its NY Style pizza.
Here you can find great pizza, subs and salads.
The relaxed atmosphere is reflected by the friendly
tattoo-adorned staff. They have an open kitchen
so you can check out your pizza as it comes out of
the oven and there is a large dining area with plen-
485a Flat Shoals Avenue
404.521.9666 www.eastsidelounge.net
East Atlanta Village
A Neighborhood Spotlight on businesses in the Area
Tucked away just south of I-20 and east of Moreland
Avenue is one of Atlanta's most authentic, diverse,
funky and friendly neighborhoods. East Atlanta
Village is garnering national attention and local accolades. If you haven't been there before, you may not
know that it was named best local neighborhood for
2007, and that it's been profiled in media outlets like
the New York Times and the Washington Post. If
you have ventured to East Atlanta Village before, then
you've already figured out what the buzz is all about.
The summer of 2008 is going to be a busy one, with
more people than
ever expected at
every event centered
in East Atlanta
Village. The 5th
Annual East Atlanta
Beer Festival
quenched the thirst
of 3,000 people, who
sampled high quality
beer and enjoyed
some great local
music. The following
Saturday on June 7th, the Brownwood Bike Rally was
another resounding success. Every Thursday evening
is the Farmer's Market in the parking lot of Village
Hardware on Glenwood Avenue. SOPO Bike Co-op
can be found working in the parking lot behind East
Atlanta Thai and Sushi every weekend to promote
the alternative fuel transportation that burns calories.
Hang out on the wide, tree lined sidewalks where you
can shop some of the most unique and interesting
shops and boutiques in town or just grab a cup of
coffee and do some people watching. You can pick
up rare edition or used books, music collectibles,
Eastside Lounge
locally created art, furniture and gifts, purses and any
number of other items.
Come down to see some great live music at the local
bars like the Earl, sample some of the award winning
food at the Glenwood or relax on any number of
huge patios scattered throughout the area.
With about 20 restaurants, bars and music venues,
and more on the way, there are plenty of tastes and
sounds to experience in the East Atlanta Village. The
Taste of East Atlanta will be July 17th and gives attendees the opportunity to sample all sorts of great food.
The 144th Battle of Atlanta commemoration will take
place in East Atlanta Village and the surrounding
neighborhoods July 19th weekend, but the biggest
event of all is the East Atlanta Strut on September
20th. This year's all day festival is expected to top last
year's record crowds, which has forced the Strut to
expand its site. The whole village will shut down for
one day, while everyone struts their stuff, listens to
live music and views fantastic art. Adults will also
love the great food and adult libations, while the children will thrill to their own "Kids Village" and the
Strut parade.
There is no shortage of reasons to come and visit
the East Atlanta Village this year. You'll probably
want to join the thousands before you who have
stayed and helped build the neighborhood into "An
urban oasis of community and culture." For more
information visit www.eastatlantavillage.net.
NEW YORK STYLE PIZZA & MORE…
1279 Glenwood Ave. (Glenwood @ Flat Shoals)
404.627.0007
ty of tables to accommodate large groups.
After residents of surrounding areas have called it
a night, expect to see locals trickling into Grant
Central East from neighborhood bars to get a slice
before heading home. If you dropped most your
cash at the bar across the street don't worry,
because $1.65 will get you started with a slice, and
for under $10.00 you can get an assortment of salads, sandwiches, and pizzas.
Grant Central East gives its customers the option
of customizing their pizza, even when only ordering a slice. For an extra $2.00 you can get a single
piece of pizza with any four toppings, and three
bucks buys a slice of their house pizza, the Cardiac
Arrest (pepperoni, spicy sausage, meatballs, ham
and extra cheese), which is every bit as good as it
sounds. So if you're in the mood for great pizza or
just hungry after a night out at the bar next door,
head over to Grant Central East.
art opening June 26th 2008 | www.colbyart.com
GRANT CENTRAL & GRANT CENTRAL EAST
451 CHEROKEE AVE. (IN HISTORIC GRANT PARK) 404.523.8900
1279 GLENWOOD AVE. (IN EAST ATLANTA VILLAGE) 404.627.0007
Landmark DINER
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Mondays: Industry Night DJ Brook Spoorkman
Tuesday: 90’s Night Black Sunshine with DJ Adam
Wednesdays: Brit Pop / Indie Night
Thursdays: Doppelganger with guest DJ Osmose
Fridays: 80’s DJ Quazi
Saturdays: Red Square retro with Achilles & Chaz
Mon-Sat 9pm-2:30am | Nightly Drink Specials
www.eastsidelounge.net | 485 A Flastshoals Ave. | Atlanta | 30316
Holcomb Insurance
Services, LLC
404.627.4505 [email protected]
www.holcombinsurance.net
I'm Matt Holcomb, founder and president of
Holcomb Insurance Services, LLC. My agency is
here to help individuals, families, and businesses
with a variety of insurance solutions at the best
value. My commitment to you is to provide expert
knowledge, friendly service, and timely response.
I represent Georgia's top carriers in medical, dental, vision, disability, life, long-term care, Medicare
supplement coverage and Medicare Advantage
plans. I can also assist you through my strong network of professionals specializing in property and
casualty coverage, retirement and financial planning, payroll services, workplace benefit packages,
health reimbursement accounts, and flexible spending accounts.
Some of the
Health Insurance
Carriers I work
with are Kaiser
Permanente, Blue
Cross Blue Shield,
Golden Rule,
United
Healthcare, Aetna
and Humana.
Navigating the
world of insurance can be challenging. My job is to help you
understand your many options so that you can
make educated choices. This doesn't end after the
sale. I am here for you year-round, working with the
insurance carriers to make sure your needs are continuously met.
For more information, please contact me at 404627-4505, email [email protected] or my
website www.holcombinsurance.net. I look forward
to serving you!
well as MD Team's client testimonials.
The Earl
488 Flat Shoals Rd. 404.522.3950
www.badearl.com
Located in the heart of the East Atlanta Village,
The Earl is the kind of place you can hang out at all
day. It is a great combination of restuarant, bar and
concert hall. Featuring an amazing bar menu, moderately priced drinks and a music venue in the back,
this is a place that can satisfy just about anyone in
your group. Their burgers are well known and have
received numerous awards including the EARL
Burger, made with 100% Black Angus Beef. The
Guacamole Burger is known for its “cowalicious
goodness” and served with guacamole, salsa and
cheddar, or the Blue Bacon.
The Earl is also an East Atlanta institution for
great live music. Anything and everything can be
heard, and the crowd varies with the bands.
National acts and the best of the emerging Atlanta
music scene grace the stage nightly to packed
crowds. The jukebox in the restaurant has one of
the most eclectic group of albums in town. Bar regulars love the PBR tall boys that wash their burgers
down with authority.
The open front offers a great view of downtown
East Atlanta. There is also table sidewalk seating.
With a casual atmosphere with an eclectic mix of
patrons, you can’t go wrong with The Earl any night
of the week.
Blue Frog Cantina
The MD Team, Realtors
www.bluefrogatl.com
404.538.6849 [email protected]
www.mdteam.net
Under new ownership, this popular East Atlanta
cantina is offering exciting new menu items and
events this summer. Among them is their $1 Taco
deal every Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday is
ladies night as they serve up frozen margaritas and
featuring DJ sassy. Team Trivia is offered Thursday
nights at 8pm and Poker is held on Sunday nights
also at 8pm.
Their popular
patio is reserved
for people
watching and
tossing back one
of their 17 margaritas. Their
many fruity flavors include
banana, tangerine and orange. The house favorite is pomegranate
served with fresh pomegranate liquor. Some of
their killer margaritas include the Texas made with
Grand Marnier and the Cadillac made with
Cointreau.
Blue Frog is open Monday - Saturday from 5pm 12am and Sundays 5pm - 11pm. There is ample
free parking and credit cards are accepted.
Keller Williams Realty Atlanta
The MD Team, affiliated with Keller Williams
Realty Atlanta Midtown, has 12 years combined
experience helping clients thrive in Intown Atlanta's
real estate market. Owners, Marc Takacs and David
Bottomley, are fully dedicated to their clients, as
well as the communities they serve.
With the MD Team, you get two educated and
experienced Realtors for the price of one. The MD
Team is dedicated to exceeding your expectations
through taking the time to understand and meet
each person's needs. The MD Team strives to educate our clients about the various neighborhoods
and areas so you will be comfortable with not only
your home, but your quality of life.
Marc is the President of East Atlanta's Business
Association and an Editor and Board Member of
the Porch Press, an all volunteer neighborhood
newspaper. David is a volunteer tour guide at the
Oakland Cemetery and has been instrumental in
setting up a neighborhood watch in the Atlanta
neighborhood, Peoplestown. For each transaction,
the MD Team makes a donation in the buyer or
seller's name to PAWS Atlanta, a no kill animal
shelter.
Both owners have completed the Accredited
Buyer Representative (ABR) designation, held by
less than one percent of all Realtors, and Marc is a
Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), a program designed
to equip professionals with the knowledge,
resources and insight to appropriately advise individuals and families as society ages.
Contact Marc and David at 404-604-3100 or
[email protected] for more information and to
receive their monthly newsletter, containing valuable, up-to-date information about happenings in
and around Atlanta. Visit www.mdteam.net to view
informative articles on buyer and seller resources
and historic home architecture and renovation, as
PSYCHO SISTERS
Traders
www.TRADERSatlanta.com
Traders is a unique retail space with a mixture of
furniture, home accessories, gifts and novelties.
They carry Rowe upholstery, Zocalo and Sitcom case
goods (end tables and coffee tables). Here you will
find a wide selection of lamps and decorative vases,
sconces and artwork. They carry several scented
candle lines: Votivo, Archipelago, and Zinnia
unscented candles. There is also a great children's
baby section full of toys, puzzles and plush animals
for that special child. The baby section has books for
new Moms and Dads, Onesies, Dish sets and much
more. Traders opened eleven years ago in April 1997
across the street in what is now the Eye Too space.
The current location is approximately 4,000 square
feet of floor room making it the largest retail shop in
East Atlanta.
BUY
©
©
SELL
LITTLE FIVE POINTS TRADE SANDY SPRINGS
428 Moreland Ave.
404-523-0100
for guys
5964 Roswell Rd.
and girls
psycho-sisters.com
404-255-5578
East Atlanta’s
Insurance Broker
Matt Holcomb
404-627-4505
[email protected]
www.holcombinsurance.net
Sand!
Food!
Fun!
On the square
in downtown
Decatur,
Georgia
June 20 • 5 pm to midnight
Adult tickets
Purchase in
advance at
decaturdba.com
at the gate
Children 12 and under, FREE! (limit two children per paying adult)• No coolers, glass or pets allowed
www.decaturdba.com • 404-371-8386
DINING
Taste
of
the
Month-Burgers
Hot off the Grill this Summer!
Atkins Park Tavern
The Tavern at Phipps
794 N. Highland Ave. 404-876-7249
www.atkinspark.com
3500 Peachtree Rd. 404.814.9640
www.TheTavernAtPhipps.com
Atkins Park, Virginia Highland’s historic neighborhood
restaurant, has been serving up great food and drink since
1922. It holds the title of the longest continuously licensed tav-
As Atlanta’s award winning “Hottest Spot for Cool
Cocktails”, “Best Happy Hour”, and “Best Bartender”, the bar
at The Tavern at Phipps has made a name for itself. But
don’t be fooled, this is a full scale restaurant offering two
dining rooms, white linens and plenty of seating on their vast
outdoor patio. It is styled after the classic New York steakhouse with thick mahogany wood banisters, brick walls, and
a tiled ceiling.
Their menu caters to the Atlanta elite and families alike.
While the menu remains the same for lunch and dinner, it
offers a wide range of items for those looking to grab a quick
bite while shopping at the mall to those looking for an
upscale sit down experience.
The meat used in their burgers is ground fresh daily and
made using Grade A choice Midwestern beef. They offer a
standard 1/2 pound burger which you can add toppings to
prepare it however you like. Their Tavern Burger is made
with homemade stadium chili, bacon, melted cheese, lettuce,
tomato and onion.
As we mentioned earlier, The Tavern offers great cuts of
meat. If you’re in the mood for a steak, try their 18oz bonein strip sirloin. This is a Kansas City cut 4 week aged top
choice sirloin brushed with fresh garlic butter and accompanied by a salt rubbed baked potato.
ern in Atlanta. For the past 25 years, Atkins Park has been serving the Bruno Burger. It
sports Black Angus beef
and and simple accompaniments of sauteed mushrooms and onions. It's
named after famed restaurantaur Warren Bruno, a
previous owner of this historic establishment. This
popular burger began in
1975 at the long-gone
Aunt Charley's, Bruno's
first restaurant. A big fan
of 'shrooms and onions,
Bruno would saute the
veggies with a stick of butter and a cup of sherry.
The addition of provolone
cheese is a nod to his
Italian heritage. "The burger is just a staple of the
neighborhood," says manager and bartender Crystal Brooks. "And it's never frozen."
Nothing goes better with a great burger than a cool drink.
Atkins Park has an extensive list of beers and wines featuring
many split bottles. Enjoy their upscale comfort food, burgers
seated at the 1922 wooden bar or charming vintage dining
room. If you get hungry late, no problem, Atkins serves burgers
until 2:30 am Monday through Saturday.
Atlanta’s Historic
Neighborhood
Restaurant
Located in the
Heart of the
Virginia
Highlands
The Earl
488 Flat Shoals Rd.
404.522.3950
www.badearl.com
Located in the heart
of the East Atlanta
Village, The Earl is
the kind of place you
can hang out at all
day. It is a great
combination of
restuarant, bar and
concert hall.
Featuring an amazing bar menu, moderately priced drinks and a music
venue in the back, this is a place that can satisfy just
about anyone in your group. Their burgers are well
known and have received numerous awards including the
EARL Burger, made with 100% Black Angus Beef. The
Guacamole Burger is known for its “cowalicious goodness” and served with guacamole, salsa and cheddar, or
the Blue Bacon.
The Earl is also an East Atlanta institution for great live
music. Anything and everything can be heard, and the
crowd varies with the bands. National acts and the best
of the emerging Atlanta music scene grace the stage
nightly to packed crowds. The jukebox in the restaurant
has one of the most eclectic group of albums in town. Bar
regulars love the PBR tall boys that wash their burgers
down with authority.
The open front offers a great view of downtown East
Atlanta. There is also table sidewalk seating. With a
casual atmosphere with an eclectic mix of patrons, you
can’t go wrong with The Earl any night of the week.
Your
Neighborhood
Pizzeria!
Serving Atlanta Since 1922
THE BRUNO
BURGER
Over 2 million sold since 1975
Serving Lunch,
Sat & Sun Brunch,
Dinner and Late Nite
BEST PIZZA!
&
www.atkinspark.com
794 North Highland Ave | 404-876-7249
Multiple Atlanta Locations: www.JohnnysPizza.com
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PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.”
Kenneth Turan
“�� SENSATIONAL,
AWE-INSPIRING SPECTACLES.
1/2
‘Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull’,
Say It Aloud And It Causes Your Pulse To Quicken!”
Roger Ebert
“SPECTACULAR FUN!”
Claudia Puig
“THE MAGIC IS STILL THERE. IT’S
GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK DR. JONES!”
Leah Rozen
now playing
CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATRES AND SHOWTIMES
FOR GROUP TICKET SALES INFORMATION CALL: 1-877-PAR-GRP5
SPECIAL ENGAGEMENTS – NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT TICKETS ACCEPTED
Text INDY to 33287 for showtimes and mobile content. Standard messaging rates apply.
Insite Magazine
1/4pg
FRI 5/30
ALLIED DC JM
A FILM BY DENNIS DUGAN "YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN" JOHN TURTURRO
COLUMBIA PICTURES PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH RELATIVITY MEDIA A HAPPY MADISON PRODUCTION
NICK
SWARDSON
LAINIE
KAZAN
EMMANUELLE
CHRIQUI
AND ROB SCHNEIDER MUSIC SUPERVISIONBY MICHAEL DILBECK BROOKS ARTHUR MUSICBY RUPERT GREGSON-WILLIAMS
EXECUTIVE
WRITTEN
PRODUCED
DIRECTED
PRODUCERS BARRY BERNARDI ROBERT SMIGEL
BY ADAM SANDLER & ROBERT SMIGEL & JUDD APATOW
BY ADAM SANDLER JACK GIARRAPUTO
BY DENNIS DUGAN
STARTS FRIDAY, JUNE 6
CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES
SORRY, NO PASSES ACCEPTED FOR THIS ENGAGEMENT.
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SPORTS NEWS
A Brave New World
Once Jeff Francoeur shakes this current slump at the plate,
it’ll only add to his budding legend in Atlanta.
BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS
A
ROUND THE SEVENTH OR
eighth inning at Turner Field, the
Atlanta Braves have this game where
one fan standing in front of the jumbotron
tries to rearrange five life-size numbers into
a configuration matching the exact attendance for that day’s game. While the fan at
the May 24 contest was frantically swapping
a “3” for a “6,” all of those looking from the
stands could
see the right
answer.
Some helped
by shouting
out the correct numerical sequence.
Others
laughed at
the hysteric
pacing.
Jeff Francoeur feels
the frazzled
fan’s frustration. Being
the only one
seemingly
not clued in
to something
kinda sucks.
Braves third
baseman
Chipper
Jones is
the hottest
player on
the planet.
Atlanta
teammates
Yunel Escobar and Brian
McCann are both batting comfortably over
.300, too. But lately, if you’ve looked closely
to Francoeur while he’s stood at the plate,
all hasn’t been right. He’s seemed lost. Not
knowing if the “3” goes in front of the “2” or
behind the “6.”
At press time, the Braves outfielder was
pressing a bit, hitting .259 with just five
home runs and 32 RBI. Those stats aren’t
terrible; in fact, the 32 ribbies are tied for
second most on the club. But for a guy who
approached ’08 with realistic aspirations of
.300, 40 and 120, they’re a bit deflating.
“I said it the other day,” begins Jeff, after
an emotional 3-1 victory over Arizona
where he hit the game-winning homer. “I
feel like I’m battling right now. I definitely
don’t feel great at the plate. I can be honest
with that. But I’m working hard at it. I came
in today worked with [hitting coach Terry
Pendleton].”
Francoeur continues, never breaking the
genuine smile he’s beloved around these
parts for. “I’m grindin’. That’s the important
thing: As long as I keep grindin’ and helpin’
this team out in different ways, sooner than
later, I’ll kinda feel where I’m real comfortable at the plate, get back and do some real
damage.”
And that’s what the great ones do. When
Kobe Bryant’s shot isn’t falling, he’ll make
sure his assist totals are up and his defense
is suffocating. Same goes for LaDanian Tomlinson’s receiving numbers when his rushing
lanes are stuffed. If Jeff Francoeur’s hitting
more ground balls than gappers, he’s also
making sure his patrolling of right field is
goof-free. The canon-armed Francoeur has
four outfield assists so far in ‘08. He tied for
the Majors’ lead with 19 a year ago.
Another admirable trait from the guy they
call Frenchy is that he hasn’t cowered in the
wake of the
mild slump.
After a rough
two or three
nights at the
plate, No. 7
could have
easily asked
manager
Bobby Cox
for a day off.
He didn’t. As
a matter of
fact, before
May 20, Jeffrey Brandon
Francoeur
had played in
an MLB-best
370 consecutive games.
But because
a day/night
doubleheader
was on the
slate that day,
Cox gave his
24-year-old
slugger a
breather—
much to the
chagrin of his
teammates.
“He’s the most annoying bench player in
the world,” jokes good friend and Braves
catcher Brian McCann. “I don’t ever want to
have him on the bench again. He’s just annoying. He talks the whole time, doesn’t give
you your space. Every time you turn around,
he’s there. [But] he needed a mental day
off. I think sitting back watching the game,
you get to regroup your thoughts and think
about the game and about what you need to
do to hit the ball on a consistent basis.”
A free swinger who gave it his all with
every at-bat, Frenchy was never confused
with Ted Williams at the dish. Still, when
the Atlanta-raised ball player was shipped
from the Minors to the Braves in the middle
of the ’05 season, he came with more hoopla
than the Sex in the City movie. Comparisons
to Willie McCovey were made. Opponents
were baffled. Teammates were awestruck.
Fans were learning to spell “Francoeur”
so fast you thought they were etymology
majors. The media –Sports Illustrated had
him grace its cover with the heading “The
Natural” attached to his image- swore the
second coming of Willie Mays was here.
The Robert Redford-worthy run was followed by a sophomore campaign with even
more sparkling numbers, none any bigger
than the 29 homers and 103 RBI. The home-
town hero had it all figured out. Unlike
the Atlanta fan playing the numbers
game, he knew precisely where the “3”
should go. The proverbial “2” and “6”
fell into place, too. And though the
long ball totals (19) slipped a bit last
year, his doubles (40), RBI (105) and
walks (42) all went up.
Then Spring Training ‘08 arrived.
Word around Braves camp was that
Francoeur had bulked up. They said the
young man was more focused than ever,
determined to hit that elusive 40-dinger
plateau. It’s early June now. Jeff is barely on
pace to reach half that goal.
The crazy thing about expectations is
that if you don’t meet them in a reasonable
amount of time, folks begin to wonder if you
were ever deserving of even the mention.
To stay in the same sentence as the Hanley
Ramirezes and Josh Hamiltons and Ryan
Brauns of the baseball world, Frenchy’s got
to hit 40 and 120 eventually, right?
At this very second Jeff ’s a bit too worked
up to entertain the question. His game-winning home run has given 36,263 (the fan’s
guess was a hair off, if you were wondering) at the Ted something to cheer about.
Even more important, it gives the Braves a
21-6 mark at home, the best in the National
League. They can almost touch the NL Eastleading Florida Marlins now.
“Hopefully,” says a relieved Francoeur,
“I can come out tomorrow [and hit even
more]. Hopefully, this is something that gets
me going here and can get me back feeling
relaxed at the plate and grooving it.”
Once that happens, the Marlins, the Mets
and the mass of doubters had better
watch out.
PEACE CORPS
“TOP 5 BEST
EMPLOYERS
TO LAUNCH A
CAREER”
--BusinessWeek 2008
College degree and/or experience
GlobeTalk InfoSession
Monday, June 30th
7-8pm
Wordsmiths Books
545 N. McDonough St.
Decatur, GA 30030
404.562.3479
www.peacecorps.gov
Available in
Stores June 17th
SPORTS NEWS
FANATIC
BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS
“The protocol for an IOC ceremony is very strict and formal, and it has
to be. On such an issue that has affected a host country, I believe that the
president of the IOC would have a very open mind and listen to the advice coming from Beijing organizers.” –Kevan
Gosper, vice chairman of the IOC coordination
commission, on the idea of honoring the China
earthquake victims during the OLYMPICS
It’s the NBA DRAFT. You’re the Minnesota
Timberwolves. The Chicago Bulls grabbed Derrick Rose with the first pick. The Miami Heat
took the consolation prize named Michael
Beasley at two. Who do you pick with the third
selection? The ’08 crop is deep, so there are lots
of ways you could go. Pass on big forwards Anthony Randolph and Kevin Love because you already have Al Jefferson on the payroll. You could
probably skip over flashy guards O.J. Mayo, Eric
Gordon and Jerryd Bayless, too, seeing as how
Randy Foye and Rashard McCants did admirably in the spot this past year. That said, Stanford
center Brook Lopez, seven feet of hustle, hooks
and soft hands, is probably the best choice for the
T-Wolves.
A Monthly Sports Must-See TV
Wrap-up
Top 5 Games This Month
altering bad calls in May, we might be open to the idea in one instance- determining if a ball is a home run or not. While some are foolishly opening
to the thought of instant replay helping in safe/out calls or even –gasp!balls and strikes, we’re thinking something more in the way of managers
having one chance per game to dispute a home run call is not only fair
but won’t slow down an already-slow sport too
much more.
“INSIDER TRADING is a bigger deal in sports
than in the financial markets. We have the Securities and Exchange Commission here. Why not
the same for what is a multibillion-dollar sports
gambling market?” –Justin Wolfers, business
professor at the University of Pennsylvania
“In the end, I never discount anyone coming
back. At this moment, she needs to take all the
pressure off. When someone announces this and
they’re in their mid-20s, I always say it’s 50-50.
With Justine [Henin], it might be better than that.
Martina announced her retirement in her late 30s
and she kept going. I say there’s a good chance
we’ll see her again.” –PAM SHRIVER, owner of
22 Grand Slam doubles titles, on the idea of the
25-year-old Henin ever coming out of retirement
“The difficulty is convincing pampered players who already spend 120
nights on the road that it isn’t that big a deal to add a trans-Pacific trip to
the schedule. Heck, I once listened to a player complain about traveling to
Canada. But if 60-year-old flight attendants can not only manage the trip
but can also pour coffee and wheel food carts up and down the aisles for
much of the flight, athletes in their prime should be able to manage sitting,
sleeping and watching movies during the same trip. Especially when they
get a $40,000 bonus for doing so (as the Red Sox and Athletics did this
spring).” –ESPN’S JIM CAPLE, on the prospect of the MLB expanding
to Asia
Fanatic isn’t the biggest supporter of instant replay potentially rearing
its head in MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, but in the wake of the game-
And finally…
ESPN’s list of the five greatest drivers ever: 1) A.J. Foyt 2) Mario Andretti
3) Dale Earnhardt 4) Michael Schumacher 5) Ayrton Senna… The Celtics/
Cavs Eastern Conference semifinals Game 7 was the highest rated nonFinals game on ABC the last five years…Golf.com’s most overrated golfers: Colin Montgomerie, Chris DiMarco, Davis Love III, Tom Lehman,
Charles Howell and Stewart Cink… At press time, the Atlanta Braves had
the second-best home winning percentage (77%). Oddly, they also have
the worst road mark (27%)… Baron Davis, a New York Knick? Reports say
the Golden State guard has made inquiries into the Big Apple’s interest in
him…Bobby Cox, who just signed a one-year extension to manage the Atlanta Braves a 24th season in ‘09, is an eight-time Sporting News manager
of the year. No one else has won the honor more than three times.
1
2
3
4
5
NBA Finals
(starting June 5, 8:30PM, ABC)
Most folks are salivating over a nostalgic Lakers/
Celtics final, but if I recall, L.A. and Detroit had
some memorable battles, too.
Stanley Cup Finals
(June 2, 4 and 7, 8PM, NBC)
If NBC doesn’t get ratings with a match-up
featuring the best team (Detroit) and its best
young talent (Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby), there’s
no hope for hockey.
French Open
(June 7-8, 9AM, NBC)
With Henin out of the picture, Jelena Jankovic,
Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams rumble in
Roland Garros.
U.S. Open
(June 15, TBD, NBC)
Umm, Phil, don’t look now, but you-know-who
appears healthy enough to come out swinging at
gorgeous Torrey Pines.
Boston at
Philadelphia
(June 16, 7PM, ESPN)
The AL East-leading Sox do everything in their
power to slay the three-headed monster of
Rollins, Utley and Howard.
LUBES
CONDOMS
LOTIONS
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The Best Margaritas in Atlanta

Transcription

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